Agriculture is a complicated business with considerations like soil and crop types, topography, climate and how to minimize inputs while maximizing yields. Yet a one-size-fits-all approach is still frequently used in planting. Watching the weather, applying uniform amounts of water, nutrients, pesticides and manually inspecting fields for signs of stress or pest infestation. Sometimes all of the variables align sometimes they don’t. Crop yields fluctuate, so these conventional methods not only have the potential to waste time and resources they can negatively affect soil and water quality too. Rarely they do significantly boost crop productivity. Modern techniques like Satellite and UAV imagery and data tracking offers an effective way to survey small to large scale operations and assess crop health. Data collected can then be used to pinpoint areas of crop stress to determine when and where in how much water fertilizer and pesticide is needed to produce a healthy crop. Data analytics enable growers to make better soil water and crop management decisions.
About 25 millions of small-scale farmers produce 80% of the world’s coffee production. Coffee is the primary source of income for many of them and their dependence as a cash crop. Coffee production faces several challenges. The work is labor-intensive. Coffee trees need pruning, fertilization, weeding, crop protection, irrigation. Coffee is one of the few agricultural products whose price is based on qualitative parameters, and its value varies significantly as quality improves. A piece of broad knowledge about techniques to produce high-quality coffee is indispensable for modern coffee growing and new management tools must be used, such as precision agriculture. Recording and tracking data at each stage of production (from harvesting to processing) could provide them with useful insights. Applying these insights could improve their practices and help them move closer to economic sustainability. Data can be a valuable resource for producers, and businesses. Data describes our reality and we can understand what’s happening in coffee. A lack of data can impact many aspects of the coffee production process. Currently, insufficient data exists on the best practices for climate-resilient farming, and the different climates, soil types, and farming systems that coffee producers face. Without this kind of information, it’s difficult for producers to determine what actions are best suited to their unique situation. Access to the right information can help them to improve the above aspects, while also helping them increase the consistency of their output and its quality. It can also act as a warning on future issues they might encounter and enhance their overall planning. For this reason, producers need to learn how to record and analyze their data at every stage of the production process. Besides, they need to identify what kind of data would be most useful for them to collect.
Producers should record data regarding costs, expenses, crop applications, pest and disease control measures, production times, production processes, and production sales. They also track different stages of production including planting, harvesting, picking, milling, drying, parchment removal, and roasting. Moreover, data collection should include the precise plot location, when each step of the harvesting process was taken, how the coffee was processed, its commercial stock lot number, what kind of coffee qualities have been specified, and much more.
But there are some major problems that growers face when they are willing to collect data. Many coffee producers have the wish and dedication to begin using data collection as a tool but don’t have the assets or know-how to start. A be deficient in knowledge on where to collect or access data, as well as a panic that it will be misinterpreted, misused, or cause errors, are common barriers that producers face. To overcome these problems they should follow some simple steps like making a decision what data they want to collect, based on the objectives they’ve outlined for themselves or areas they’ve recognized are in necessitate of improvement, prepare a plan for gathering the data, as well as a time outline for data compilation and track and record data, checking and updating it regularly as conditions change and new information is added. Following these steps, producers will be able to gain the insight required to make decisions. This can help them improve their farming practices and economic sustainability.
On the other hand, Climate change, plant diseases, and poverty are all serious threats to farmers, their families, and their coffee production efforts. Keeping track of and recording data might be exactly what’s needed to help them adopt more sustainable practices, increase their productivity, and get more out of their existing land. Consequently, any effort to address these issues must match the size and scope of the problem. Not all coffee producers will be in the same position to begin using data to their benefit. Depending on the budget and scope of the producer in question, different steps will be appropriate. For some, simply recognizing the importance of data and beginning to collect it will be the first step. Technology has a significant role to play here. There’s a good chance that this will involve the Internet of Things and Blockchain technology allows parties to distribute, differentiate, and verify trade that takes place between groups. Every step of the transaction is recorded and monitored by third parties. Coffee producers can use this to communicate and authenticate the quality, origin, and pricing of their coffee to buyers. Technology also encourages the development of smart farming. This is evident through farmers adopting sensors and using drones to check and trace everything from fruit size to crop health.
By collecting data, producers can learn to pick up or even modify the time, place, and environment of their production. They can also map their expenses better, or expand to raise different or new appropriate varieties of coffees. Based on the information acquired from the data, producers can also plan next year’s capital and outputs, cultivate improved quality coffees, put off problems, spot new opportunities for improvement, better recognize each processing technique, and advance their techniques on drying coffee lots. As the practice of such data and data compilation tools grow to be more common and its costs reduce, this could characterize a huge chance for coffee producers to develop their crop quality and by and large sustainability. Whether the data is obtained through cutting-edge technology or tried and tested methods, it’s what the manufacturer does with it that will make a major distinction.
