An Investigation into the Challenges and Opportunities Associated with the Application of Internet of Things (IoT) in the Agricultural Sector-A Review

Abstract

Internet of things has acquired attention all over the globe. It has transformed the agricultural field and allowed farmers to compete with massive issues they face. The aim of this paper is to review the various challenges and opportunities associated with the applications of internet of things in agricultural sector. This research makes use of secondary sources that have been gathered from existing academic literature such as journals, books, articles, magazines, internet, newsletter, company publications and whitepapers. Applications reviewed in this research are about crop sensing, mapping and monitoring the croplands pattern, managing and controlling with the help of radio frequency identification and real-time monitoring of environment. Some of the challenges that were taken into consideration for reviewing the applications of internet of things are software complexity, security, lack of supporting infrastructure and technical skill requirement. Complexity in the software has to be rectified in order to support the IoT network. Therefore software must be developed as user-friendly for improving the farming, production and quality of the crop. Security is the major threat in the IoT applications. Security has to be enhanced through proper access control, data confidentiality and user authentication. Technical skill is required for farming to enhance the organizational abilities and to perform the farming functions, solving problems and more. Proper supporting infrastructure can be developed with proper internet availability and connectivity. Some of the opportunities were taken for reviewing the applications of internet of things are low power wireless sensor, better connectivity, operational efficiency and remote management.