How Big Data is Disrupting Agriculture from Biological Discovery to Farming Practices.

Innovation and disruption that’s occurring in real time all around us and the field of agriculture has also dived in with data driven technologies to ensure food safety,food security and prevention of resources.. This need to produce more food for the ever increasing poopulation using fewer inputs, has seen agriculture seeking new products, practices and technologies. Big data is causing the disruption to meet these needs because of the need to use fewer chemicals and less water, subsistence farmers need to close the yield gap. Production farmers want yield boosts and cost savings. Consumers are demanding healthier, clean food and ingredients ,big data is providing all necessary information about food production,processing and distribution. This allow consumers to track,trace and know the source of what they purchase. The accessibility of information everywhere from the plant genome to water management, fertilization, climate, soil, machinery, and crop protection systems makes a great impact on agriculture. The various ways to get and use data both in both farming practices and advances in crop genetics and also on the production level, this is changing the value chain in agriculture as access to big data is transferring power to the farmer and smaller companies, while the big companies consolidate and struggle to innovate. Disruption will take big ideas, new business models and bold people. A new generation of independent companies are harnessing big data to generate new insights, practices and products. Traditional agribusiness companies and supply chains will have to adapt if they want to keep up. There are four main areas where big data is used in the food chain:1)– Development of new seed traits: Discoveries and access to the plant genome with new ways to measure, map, and drive information into better products, faster. 2)– Precision Farming: Although sometimes confused, big data and precision agriculture are not synonymous. Big data takes advantage of information derived through precision farming in aggregate over many farms. The resulting analytics, insights, and better decisions can then be deployed through precision farming techniques. 3) Food Tracking: Use of sensors and analytics to prevent spoilage and food borne illnesses. – 4) Effect on Supply Chains :shifts in the supply chains of seed, crop inputs, and food driven by the democratization of technology and information. more