Internet of Things in the Field of Smart Farming: Benefits and Challenges

The increase in population at the global level results in an increase in food demand and a shift towards smart agricultural practices. This is supported by the reduced availability of agricultural land, reduced natural resources, and difficulty in predicting climate, making food security a significant problem in several countries. Therefore, the technology trend of using the Internet of Things (IoT) with case studies in agriculture is a solution to increase the efficiency of the crop cultivation process and increase agricultural productivity. Currently, the use of IoT technology in the agricultural sector uses Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology and Data Analytics for data processing. This IoT platform combines several other technologies, such as WSN, cloud computing, middleware architecture, end-user application, and radio frequency identification (RFID). There are several benefits and challenges regarding the use of IoT technology for the agricultural sector. This paper will discuss the IoT platform and architecture and enable the application of the concept of smart agriculture.