Tackling Food Security Through a Digital First Approach

Food security remains one of the most pressing challenges for stakeholders to manage, with the United Nations estimating that 30% of the global population are vulnerable to food insecurity. As populations continue to grow while suitable agricultural land decreases, the efficient management of food critical industries like agriculture and aquaculture is crucial to keep human populations healthy and happy. 

Food Security Defined: 

In simple terms, having food security means having enough safe and nutritious food for everyone to live an active and healthy life. There are several factors which can threaten food security both regionally and internationally, arguably the most pressing of these globally being the rise in extreme weather, like droughts and floods, disrupting food production. To minimize impact, pre-emptive action is needed in conjunction with the efficient management of resources like water, to do this, data is key.  

Precision Farming: 

Precision farming, also known as agriculture/aquaculture 4.0, refers to a method of farming which relies on the use of data and modern technologies to streamline processes, making farming more efficient and sustainable, as well as ensuring food products are fit for consumption.  

The internet of things (IoT) sits as an integral part of precision farming, allowing farmers and aquaculture operators to integrate and automate continuous monitoring programs, offering near-real-time insights which inform data-driven decision-making.  

IoT can be utilized across the whole food production cycle in both agriculture and aquaculture: 

• In agriculture: sensors and weather stations are used to monitor soil and crop quality, livestock health and location and water usage and weather conditions. 

• In aquaculture: IoT devices focus on monitoring water quality, fish health, and environmental conditions to optimize production while mitigating environmental impacts. 

Despite the clear advantages of using IoT in precision farming, agriculture/aquaculture operations are often in rural areas where terrestrial communications infrastructure can be limited, and in some cases non-existent. Consequently, regardless of these benefits, automated monitoring programs cannot be implemented at the level that is needed to ensure efficient and safe food production, this is reflected in the fact that only 10 to 15% of farmers are using IoT solutions 

The solution, precision farming supported by space technology: 

Krucial sits at the forefront of satellite-enabled IoT, offering robust digital solutions that propel IoT forward, facilitating the adoption of the best of IoT anywhere on the planet. This means that previously hard-to-reach industries like agriculture and aquaculture can adopt a digital first strategy, leveraging data across key parameters to tackle food insecurity.  

Aquaculture 

For aquaculture, Krucial’s Connected Seafarm offers an end-to-end precision farming solution, monitoring key parameters such as water quality, fish health, as well as a centralized remote feeding system, all of which are supported by a robust dual satellite and cellular communications infrastructure.  

Key features include: 

• Uninterrupted Monitoring Program: Ensuring continuous data flows, supporting pre-emptive decision-making.  

• Durable build: Built to withstand the harsh environments commonplace within the industry. 

• Scalability: With full site coverage, Connected Seafarm is suitable for onshore, nearshore, and offshore operations.  

With Connected Seafarm, operators have 24/7 coverage of their operations without the need for manual data acquisition, creating safe and sustainable fish farming practices which can meet the ever-increasing demand for fresh fish and seafood.  

Use Case: Automated Feeding with Connected Seafarm 

Manual feeding methods in aquaculture have in some cases been found to waste up to 70% of pellets due to improper scheduling, with even well managed farms often reporting a loss of 30%, impacting both economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. The solution, automated feeding with Connected Seafarm. 

Benefits of Connected Seafarm’s Automated Feeding: 

• Centralized Feeding: Control the whole feeding process from one platform, implementing feeding schedules from anywhere at any time. 

• Optimized Feeding Times: Monitors fish behaviour to pinpoint ideal feeding times, decreasing feed waste. 

• Remote Video Feed: Underwater camera provides near-real-time visual evidence on fish health. 

With an automated feeding program backed by a hybrid satellite/cellular communications infrastructure, Connected Seafarm ensures operators always have access to the critical data needed for safe and secure fish production. 

Agriculture: 

For agriculture, Krucial provides the infrastructure needed for the adoption of IoT monitoring programs through Krucial CONNECT, a drop-in communications infrastructure with off-grid power capability. Robust hybrid satellite/cellular connectivity with dual backup ensures farmers are always connected to data, regardless of locational constraints. 

Key features include: 

• Sensor Agnostic: LoRaWAN-Enabled, Krucial CONNECT can integrate 100’s of sensors at once within a range of 15km. 

• Open API: With an open API, Krucial CONNECT seamlessly integrates with existing business systems and workflows. 

• Plug in and play: Drop-in functionality, with set up in hours rather than days. 

Whether for automated readings of critical variables such as soil quality, animal health, and water usage, to the prediction of weather patterns, uninterrupted data flow means operators can make pre-emptive decisions on crop yield and output, minimizing wasted resources and maximizing production. 

Use Case: Smart Water Management: 

Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater resources globally, accounting for approximately 70% of all freshwater withdrawals, however, it's estimated that about 40% of the water used in agriculture is underutilized and goes to waste due to outdated irrigation practices. 

Through a combination of IoT devices supported by Krucial CONNECT’s unmatched resiliency, farmers can integrate a smart water management system, minimizing waste through data-driven insights.  

Precision Irrigation Includes: 

• Continuous Monitoring: IoT sensors measure soil moisture levels, crop water requirements, and environmental factors to provide data-driven irrigation schedules, ensuring water is only used when needed. 

• Automated Schedules: From this data, automated irrigation schedules based on live data inputs can be implemented with ease. 

• Integration with Weather Data: IoT systems can incorporate weather forecasting tools to adjust irrigation based on predicted rainfall, saving water in case of a drought. 

Krucial CONNECT allows the integration of smart irrigation systems into any site, regardless of the location or conditions, ensuring that farmers can meet the growing pressures of climate change, maximizing efficient and sustainable output to a growing world. 

Summary: 

As the need for safe and sustainable food continues to grow in an increasingly unpredictable world, the effective management of critical industries such as agriculture and aquaculture is essential to ensure food security globally. The key, the implementation of precision farming solutions supported by a communications infrastructure built for the harsh and remote conditions commonplace in both industries. 

With Connected Seafarm for aquaculture and Krucial CONNECT for agriculture, Krucial provides both industries with the tools necessary to embrace digital transformation. Start your digital transformation journey today and get in touch with our team for a demonstration of how our cutting-edge technology gives continuous access to mission-critical data from anywhere on Earth.