Agriculture Technology

Madhya Pradesh (MP) has made considerable growth in its agriculture sector and has emerged to be the largest producer of foodgrains. The state needs to investigate, whether this substantial growth of agriculture production was stable and evenly distributed among the various crops or if it was concentrated on a few crops only. Accordingly, this paper aims to study the growth trends and their association with the stability of major crops with respect to their output, area, and yield during 2001-02 to 2014-15. 1The paper also aims to analyze the shift in the growth of crops as well as the association between the growth of their area under cultivation and yield growth. This study uses semi-log regression to estimate the growth rate of major crops and a dummy regression model to analyze the shift in the crops, further, an index has also been constructed to measure the degree of instability. The results show that agriculture in Madhya Pradesh is in a comfortable state as most of the crops with a few exceptions grew substantially in all three aspects. The area doesn't seem to be influenced by the yield or technology, but by other market forces. Besides, some crops have observed significant shifts with respect to all three parameters. The crops like cotton, tur, mustard, jowar, and soybean were found to have lost their part in later years which needs special concern. These shifts have also led to instability in the crops, however, the crops with lower growth and high instability like jowar, maize and it should be a matter of concern.

Management of domestic wastewater has a direct impact on the environmental health of urban dwellers and the general physical condition of an urban settlement. This paper analyses domestic wastewater management in Mlolongo and Ruiru towns in Kenya. The methodology applied for the study was by survey through observation of wastewater systems in the neighbourhood, and interviews of home owners and tenants, and selected key County Government informants. The study revealed Mlolongo relied entirely on decentralized systems while Ruiru had a hybrid system consisting of pockets with centralized system but the larger areas relying on decentralized systems. The study revealed that 98% of the residents in Mlolongo rely on septic tanks, conservancy pits, and pit latrines while 48% of residents in Ruiru depend on septic tanks and communal toilets for their domestic wastewater management. The domestic wastewater systems were rated to be very poor by over 50% of the residentswith little or no participation by the residents in their management. The study demonstrated that the decentralized wastewater systems covered the entire satellite towns under study. 68% of residents in Mlolongo and 48% of the residents in Ruiru share their wastewater collection facilities with more than 15 persons. On sustainability, the study revealed low score from managerial, organizational, environmental, planning, and financial perspective. A sustainable model of managing domestic wastewater in satellite towns has been developed that aims at recognizing the need of recovering resources from the domestic wastewater while minimizing the user costs.

Ecofriendly vermicomposting technology is used for utilizing the locally available agrowastes. Three different combinations of locally abundant agrowastes-banana waste (BW), mixed farm waste (MFW) and cow dung (CD) were fed to two different earthworm species, Perionyx excavatus and Eudrilus eugeniae in vermibins under controlled laboratory conditions for 90 days. Standard physico-chemical parameters of vermicompost were evaluated for seven different treatments along with the impacts on growth and reproduction of the selected earthworm species. The decomposition rate of substrate in E. eugeniae in T3, T5 and T7 (70.3±2.1 days, 76.3±2.5 days and 75.7±1.5 days respectively) and in P. excavatus in T2, T4 and T6 of same combination of substrates (81.7±1.2, 84.3±2.5 and 83.7±1.5 days) have been recorded. Earthworm growth and biomass production by weight of E. eugeniae was higher (68.5%) than P. excavates (66.9%). Further, the individual weight gain was higher in E. eugeniae than P. excavatus in all the three wastes with a significant difference (p<0.05). The production of cocoons and juveniles at the intervals of 30 th , 60 th and 90 th days were found higher in E. eugeniae than P. excavatus in all the three agrowaste combinations. The results indicate that Eudrilus eugeniae outperformed Perionyx excavatus in growth and decomposition rate of substrates and proves to be a better species for vermicomposting. Therefore, vermicomposting may be an efficient management approach for the locally available agrowastes to convert them into enriched manure for sustainable agriculture.

Technology is application of knowledge which ultimately changes the society. This paper reviews
technology’s impact on social transformation in villages of Jhelum. It assumed that technological use have
transformed the traditional agrarian communities. This study is an attempt to have qualitative analyses of the said
hypothesis. An explanatory research is conducted through non-probability; disproportionate stratified sampling
technique on a sample size 200 of farmers. Key informant helped established repo at field later interview guide
was use to conduct in-depth interview. The qualitative data collected is discussed specifically through case studies
analyses. Data have analyzed through frequency tabulation.

Brexit will require the UK to adopt a new UK agricultural policy. This change has been publicised as a positive outcome of Brexit with the potential to improve the environment whilst also supporting a technological revolution of the industry. This study investigated these claims by discussing key points raised within the new policy with important stakeholders and eliciting the views of farmers through a questionnaire-based survey. The study found that the main concept of the policy, “payments for public goods” puts environmental well-being at the forefront rather than in the background and farmers and stakeholders are generally supportive of this direction. However, the other critical premise of the new policy, Agri-Tech, received an underwhelming response from stakeholders and farmers. Issues raised in this study along with other unforeseen challenges that Brexit will bring need to be addressed to prevent them undermining this opportunity.

Ths paper describes the preparatory design and construction work for a of real-time autonomous mobile robot aimed at navigating in real farms with no operator intervention. The agricultural environment being targeted consists of an irregular terrain supporting crops or sparsely populated with objects. This results in complex problems of identification, monitoring and control. In this paper we introduce a fuzzy hierarchical controller for autonomous mobile robot for use in such agricultural environments. This controller utilises co-operating behaviours (obstacle avoidance, edge following, goal seeking) to navigate in tight spaces and navigate towards its target (bales of hay, boxes of fruit/vegetables). The proposed system simplifies fuzzy controller design and provides a control architecture with a fast response, robust performance, and the ability to deal with dynamic environments. This paper describes the preliminary development work in which the proposed controller architecture was tested on an in-door mobile robot. The next phase will concern the transfer of this work to our outdoor electrical and diesel robots.

Worldwide, pisciculture has significantly grown over the past half-century to around 52.2 million tonnes in 2008 into US$98.5 billion. Kenya’s agriculture sector is the largest foreign exchange earner taking10 percent annual economic growth, with horticulture taking 4 percent making it a popular industry for providing informal self-employment and income-generating opportunities. The purpose of the study was to establish how agriculture technology skills influence the success of pisciculture projects among youth groups in Trans Nzoia County, Kenya. The study was guided by the theory of production which answers the question of how to produce and Allocative efficiency which a measure of how a firm is using production inputs optimally in the right combination to maximize profits. The study adopted a descriptive research design where a target population of the study was 1025 individuals consisting of 1020 youths from 102 youth groups and 5 key informants from county government agricultural department. Using Yamane’s formula of sample size determination 288 respondents was selected. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to sample the youths and agricultural officers respectively. The data was collected through the use of questionnaires and interview schedules. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics. The composite mean of 2.983 showed neutrality on the level of agreement in using agricultural technology skills in ensuring success of pisciculture projects among responses from the youths. Agricultural technology skills have a significant influence on the success of pisciculture projects among youth groups, t (267) =-21.547, p<0.05. The regression model analysis showed that agricultural skills predict success of pisciculture projects. The government can also promote pisciculture farming in vulnerable rural communities by providing funding and capacity building programmes and youths should be provided with necessary agricultural technology skills.

This study proposes an advanced solution for monitoring the weather conditions and adapting new farming techniques for the overall growth of the economy. It has been found that 30% of our country's GDP comes from farming which proves that agriculture is the backbone of our country. Most of the farmers in our country rely on traditional farming however, traditional farming lacks technological advancements and affects our country's economy in several ways. Most of the problems faced by our country's farmers are lack of mechanization, improper irrigation system, and uncertain climate conditions. Also, there is a growing trend of using hazardous chemicals and improper use of fertilizers which has an adverse effect on the ecosystem. This project aims at providing a solution to the above-mentioned problems by introducing new technologies for monitoring microclimatic conditions which will result in an increased production of crops and maximizing the yield, thereby improving the quality of life of the farmers.

This study relates to the extent and effectiveness of modern agricultural technology for farming. Throughout history, technology has been shown to be quite beneficial in agricultural industries. Farmers may now farm crops in previously thought-to-be-impossible regions, but this is only possible because of agricultural biotechnology. As a result, farmers can produce a large number of crops in a relatively short period of time. However, there has been a limit to how quickly modern agricultural technology is adopted by farmers. Some economic factors that can influence the adoption rate of agricultural technology are the size of the land, the cost, and the benefits from technology. Also, farmers' educational level, age, social group, and gender can all influence their likelihood of adopting new agricultural technology.

The desire of every nation is to provide
goods and services that can actually satisfy citizens and
also be enough for export in other to acquire foreign
exchange. Due to scarce resources and diversity in human
behavior, proper strategizing and planning built on Positive
and negative science need to be considered. Human
behavior cannot be determined with concrete certainty;
we can only make assumptions based on certain conditions
or occurrences. These assumptions help managers
in managing limited resources. This goes a long way in
helping a nation plan its production in matters of; what
to produce, the quantity to produce and whom to produce
for. The task of decision making, a must for every nation
is one of the most difficult and unpredictable task faced
by managers. However, with the advent of information
Systems supported with decision support tools, managers
can now to a greater extent make proper decisions.
Information system is a collection and integration
of components for data collection, storing, and processing
in other to deliver information, knowledge, and digital
products. Businesses and cooperation rely on Information
systems to carry out operations, manage staff, and even
lead customers. There is no doubt information systems
have revolutionized virtually every sector of the economy
it has been applied in. For example, in developed countries
like the USA, Information systems have decongested
highways through traffic management. Despite all the
success stories resulting from the implementation of
information systems, Agriculture in developing countries
still struggles with implementation of information
systems. With the design of several Farm management
information systems (FMIS), one should have predicted
an end to the shortage of Agricultural products in Africa,
mismanagement of the farm or an end to the high rate
of loss in agricultural commodities as a result of disease
outbreak. However, this is not the case in Africa because;
the implementation of information systems in Agriculture
is faced with numerous design/implementation problems
ranging from designer’s ignorance to end-users illiteracy.
We are interested in uncovering the importance of
information system in Agricultural farms in Africa and highlighting some limitations facing its implementation.

The poverty levels in Eritrea are alarming. In the light of the escalating nature of poverty, there is an urgent need for a poverty alleviation initiative to reduce miseries of the majority of the poor. An attempt is made in this paper to analyse the incidence of poverty in the country with a particular focus on Agriculture. It also shed a light on the agriculture sector and its crucial role in providing 75 per cent jobs to its people. The paper also delves with the microfinance institutions particularly the Saving and Micro Credit Porgramme and its impact in reducing the poverty. It concludes that microfinance has strong capacity to drive economic growth and poverty reduction in Eritrea.

Technology is application of knowledge which ultimately changes the society. This paper reviews technology&#39;s impact on social transformation in villages of Jhelum. It assumed that technological use have transformed the traditional agrarian communities. This study is an attempt to have qualitative analyses of the said hypothesis. An explanatory research is conducted through non-probability; disproportionate stratified sampling technique on a sample size 200 of farmers. Key informant helped established repo at field later interview guide was use to conduct in-depth interview. The qualitative data collected is discussed specifically through case studies analyses. Data have analyzed through frequency tabulation.

The 3D printers when they appeared were used only by large industries, due to its very high cost. However, new and more affordable models are emerging, providing an increase in the acquisition and use for different applications of such technology,

La innovación es un factor de supervivencia que los agricultores rurales deben imponer en sus prácticas, pues esto les permite competir activamente en el mercado; considerando que la innovación agrícola es un éxito desde un punto de vista tecnológico y económico. Con las nuevas existencias tecnológicas dentro de los procesos de siembra, cuidado y cosecha de los cultivos perennes y no perennes, se ha ligado una gran reformación con los métodos tradicionales. Para la obtención de los resultados se emplea una investigación exploratoria con el proceso de encuesta descriptiva dirigida a productores de cacao, plátano, maíz, arroz, cultivos predominantes del sector, y no predominantes como productores de soya, café, pitahaya y guanábana. Esta se dirige a los agricultores que se encuentran entre los 20 a 50 años de edad, para determinar los factores que influyen en la aceptación de las técnicas de la agricultura de precisión en los productores jóvenes y en los que tienen mayor experiencia en el manejo de cultivos bajo la modalidad convencional. Concluyendo que el alto rango de experencia en la agricultura convencional es un problema para instar temas de la agricultura de precision, y los jóvenes son la herramienta esencial para transmitir la tendencia der las Tic´s agrícolas.

The desire of every nation is to provide goods and services that can actually satisfy citizens and also be enough for export in other to acquire foreign exchange. Due to scarce resources and diversity in human behavior, proper strategizing and planning built on Positive and negative science need to be considered. Human behavior cannot be determined with concrete certainty; we can only make assumptions based on certain conditions or occurrences. These assumptions help managers in managing limited resources. This goes a long way in helping a nation plan its production in matters of; what to produce, the quantity to produce and whom to produce for. The task of decision making, a must for every nation is one of the most difficult and unpredictable task faced by managers. However, with the advent of information Systems supported with decision support tools, managers can now to a greater extent make proper decisions. Information system is a collection and integration of components for dat...

In modern agriculture, most of the field operations from sowing to harvesting are done mechanically by using heavy agriculture machines. However, the loads from these heavy machines may induce stresses exceeding soil strength causing soil compaction. Nowadays, soil compaction is considered as a serious form of soil degradation, which may have serious economics and environmental consequences in world agriculture because of its effects on soil structure, plant growth and environmental events. Vehicle load, inflation pressure, number of passes, stress on the soil, and soil properties (e.g. soil water content, soil texture, soil strength, soil bulk density) play an important role on soil compaction. This chapter reviews the works related to soil compaction in agricultural areas. Also, it discusses the nature and causes of soil compaction, the effects of the compaction on soil properties, environment and plant growth, and the possible solutions suggested in the literature.