Digital Technologies in Smart Agriculture

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable agriculture supports the conservation of natural resources, halts biodiversity loss, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Sustainable agriculture is a combination of the best conventional technologies and practices, offering precision farming concepts and digital technologies. The aim of digitalization is to optimize and increase the quality of production and reduce human labor, industrial inputs, and environmental pressures. Today, in the era of Agriculture 4.0, the latest digital technology tools are being employed, namely, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, satellite technologies, cloud computing, etc. New technologies are key to enabling the development of sustainable agriculture. As such, one of the most important technologies is the Internet of Things (IoT). This concept of connecting devices and collecting and processing the Big Data received from them allows for the continuous creation of streams of interconnected data as well as the creation of new information.

Smart agriculture emphasizes information and communication technologies in machines, equipment, and sensors. This not only allows for high-tech farm monitoring and the automation of processes but also provides a possibility for remotely controlling both processes and work. Currently, these solutions are being used, among others, to monitor changes in soil characteristics, climatic factors, and humidity.

Innovative digital technologies, i.e., satellite technologies, cloud computing, or artificial intelligence, are expected to contribute to agricultural development, greater production efficiency, and resource savings, as well as promote food security and reduce climate change. Digitization and the implementation of new technologies seems to be a natural progression for agricultural development. However, the application of new technologies also raises certain concerns and poses new challenges for farmers.

Therefore, this Special Issue will review a wide range of theoretical and experimental research related to agricultural production processes that implement innovative digital technologies, the possibilities of their application, and the assessment of their effectiveness, as well as the anticipated challenges in combining innovative technologies with conventional agricultural activities.

This Special Issue welcomes all types of articles and is intended for a broad and multidisciplinary audience. 

Prof. Dr. Jacek Przybył
Dr. Dawid Wojcieszak
Guest Editors

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