Even when there are no threats of drought or hail, farmers look up to the sky in search of help, but this time they expect it from satellites.
This kind of help was discussed yesterday at the Novi Sad Fair. Polish DYNA CROP SPACE is participating in the International Agricultural Fair for the first time, and it has chosen to present a project entitled “Satellite monitoring for regenerative agriculture and carbon catching”.
– By using a simple application, farmers can use certain indices and satellite image processing to find out where the soil is more or less moist, where a field is fertilized too much or too little. They can even determine the vegetation indices, whether the crops were doing fine and whether supplements should be used, says Jovana Šijakov, an associate employed by the Polish company. – This allows for the costs to be minimized and the quality of soil to be preserved. The annual fee for using this application is one euro per one hectare.
Satellite images also provide support to farmers through the LALA agrobot. It was designed by the experts from the BioSense Institute, who are presenting at their stand in Hall 1 at the 89th International Agricultural Fair.
– Based on the precise data from satellite images, the LALA agrobot uses a probe to sample the soil at the depth of 30 cm and it mixes the sample with water in a special chamber. Next, using sensors, it determines the quantity of nitrates and other components important for plant growth. Concrete results of this analysis can be expected half an hour after sampling, explains Stefan Jarić from the BioSense Institute.
Applying the knowledge in the field of information technology to the everyday agricultural work, the BioSense Institute has also created the first digital village in Serbia in the village of Mokrin. What does a life in the digital village offer to farmers?
– The farmers will be able to create virtual cooperatives and purchase raw material at discounted prices. Just like real cooperatives, the virtual ones will also help farmers place their products at better conditions, says Nastasja Grujić from the BioSense Institute.
Digital villages
According to Nastasja Grujić, the farmers who opt to be part of digital villages will have at their disposal the complete offer of the Institute, such as parcel surveillance and monitoring and consultations with experts.
BioSense expects the project of digital villages, if proven to be successful, to be applied in other parts of Serbia, where villages are dying out.
