Since this chapter is related to forecasting, we must have an idea of the development of agricultural stages so as to link these stages with machine learning. During the past 100 years, there was an indifference in the technology and most of the development is seen in the last 5 years (Figure 5.9).
Hundred years ago
About 100 years ago, agriculture came into existence as a livelihood. At the same time, farmers grew some crops for the livelihood of their families.
Also, in this period farming was astonishingly difficult as compared to the present. At that time farmers physically afforded to grow crops for a long time. It is clear that the crop farming process using plough was harder and time consuming, so it was difficult in itself. In farming by plough lot of animal power and manpower was required. It means farmers were growing few crops and caring for livestock with their families. They were also facing the problem of poverty as well as plant diseases.
Seventy years ago
Before hybrid seeds became widely available, seeds bred for disease and/or pest resistance were rare, if available at all. In this period, some primary tools such as hand weeding, tillage, and crop rotation were used.
Forty years ago
Labor-intensive methods such as hand weeding and tillage were used by farmers in the field, without using chemicals.
Ten years ago
As farmers faced problems of insects, they started using chemical insecticides.
Five years ago
Farmers did not have data analytics and accurate equipment. At that time farmers were not capable of protecting the crop because they used to investigate the production by eye to take any action. In these activities, farmers were spending a lot of time.
Presently, farmers have many options to make a better choice. There are various options available today, such as digital tools, historical data, precision technologies and different types of crop protection methods. These tools help to grow the crop effectively with less effect on the environment.
Leave a Reply