Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry, Trends and Prospects 2015

Geospatial Technology
in agriculture Industry
Trends & Prospects 2015
Report 2015
price $1500
www.geospatialmedia.net

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
List of Graphs, Tables and Figures 3
List of Abbreviations 4
Chapter 1: Agriculture Industry: An Overview 7
Role of Agriculture in the Economy 10
Factors Affecting Growth in Agriculture 12
Global Challenges for Agriculture 18
Agriculture and Technology 18
Chapter 2: Geospatial Technology and Agriculture Industry 19
Technological Intervention in Crop Cycle 23
Geospatial Powered Initiatives in Agriculture 23
Chapter 3: Market Assessment of Geospatial
Technology in Agriculture Industry 25
Global 27
Asia Pacific 31
South Asia 40
Europe 51
North America 61
Chapter 4: Perspectives 71
Bibliography 79
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
2 AGRICULTURE | © Geospatial Media and Communications Copyright 2015

FIGURES
Figure 1.1: Share of Agriculture Industry in GDP in National Economies (2013)....................................................................................10
Figure1.2:Worldwide Percentage Change in CropYields between 2015 and 2050).............................................................................16
Figure 1.3: Worldwide Distribution of Water Stress by 2050)........................................................................................................................17
Figure 1.4: Demand and Supply Factors Driving Agriculture Industry......................................................................................................17
Figure 2.1: Model Representation of Challenges in Agriculture and Use of Technology Addressing Them...............................20
Figure 3.1: Region-wise Percentage of Respondents of the Survey...........................................................................................................28
Tables
Table 2.1: Benefits of Usage of GeospatialTechnology in Crop Lifecycle at Farm Level.......................................................................21
Table 2.2: GeospatialTechnology Usage in Crop Lifecycle.............................................................................................................................24
Table 3.1: Overview of Agriculture in Five Countries of Asia Pacific...........................................................................................................32
Table 3.2: Contribution of Agriculture in the Economy of Five Countries of Asia Pacific....................................................................32
Table 3.3: Overview of Agriculture Industry in India.........................................................................................................................................41
Table 3.4: Factors Influencing Agriculture and it’s Contribution in Indian Economy (2013)..............................................................41
Table 3.5: Overview of Agriculture Industry in Europe.....................................................................................................................................53
Table 3.6: Overview of Agriculture in Industry in European Union (2013)...............................................................................................53
Table 3.7: Overview of Agriculture in Six Country Selected of European Union (2013)........................................................................53
Table 3.8: Overview of Agriculture Industry in North America....................................................................................................................62
Graphs
Graph 1.1: Region-wise Projected Increase in Per Capita Food Consumption (2007-2050).............................................................12
Graph 1.2: Worldwide Projected Growth in Biofuels Demand and its impact on land demand (2010-2050)............................13
Graph 1.3: Projected World Population and Foodgrain Production..........................................................................................................13
Graph 1.4: Geography of Projected Growth by Increasing Intensity and Yield in Crop Production by 2050.............................14
Graph 1.5: Projections for Rising Global Demand for Crops and Declining Arable Land Per Capita (2000 – 2030).................15
Graph 1.6: Worldwide Projected Actual and Required Crop Yield by 2050.............................................................................................16
Graph 1.7: Total Water Withdrawal by Sector (Agriculture, Industrial Municipal) in km3/per year in 2013.............................16
Graph 3.1: Worldwide Extent of Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry................................................................28
Graph 3.2: Worldwide Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities................................................................................29
Graph 3.3: Worldwide Value Proposition of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry............................................................29
Graph 3.4: Worldwide Open Source vs Proprietary Software Usage in Agriculture Industry ...........................................................30
Graph 3.5: Worldwide Challenges of Geospatial Technology Usage in Agriculture Industry ..........................................................30
Graph 3.6: Crop Production Value Per Hectare in Five Countries of Asia Pacific (1996 – 2011).........................................................33
Graph 3.7: Factors Influencing Agriculture Industry in Asia Pacific............................................................................................................33
Graph 3.8: Challenges Faced by the Agriculture Industry in Asia Pacific..................................................................................................34
Graph 3.9: Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry of Asia Pacific.............................................................................34
Graph 3.10: Level of Adoption of Precision Farming in Asia Pacific............................................................................................................35
Graph 3.11: Macro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities of Asia Pacific...............................................36
Graph 3.12: Micro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities of Asia Pacific ..............................................36
list OF
Graphs, Tables figures
AGRICULTURE | © Geospatial Media and Communications Copyright 20153

Graph 3.13: Value Proposition of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture of Asia Pacific.....................................................................37
Graph 3.14: Organization Related Challenges in Geospatial Technology Usage in Asia Pacific ......................................................37
Graph 3.15: Technology Related Challenges in Adoption of Geospatial Technology in Asia Pacific .............................................38
Graph 3.16: Farm Related Challenges in Adoption of Geospatial Technology in Asia Pacific...........................................................38
Graph 3.17: Open Source vs Proprietary Software Usage in Agriculture Industry in Asia Pacific....................................................38
Graph 3.18: Future of GeospatialTechnology in Asia Pacific.........................................................................................................................39
Graph 3.19: Contribution of Agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product of India (2009–2013)......................................................42
Graph 3.20: Percentage of Employment in Agriculture to theTotal Employment in India (1994 – 2012).....................................42
Graph 3.21: Total Production of Foodgrains (in Million Tonnes) in India (1950 – 2013)......................................................................42
Graph 3.22: Yield of Major Crops in India (2000-2013)...................................................................................................................................43
Graph 3.23: Percentage of Agricultural Land to theTotal Land Area of India..........................................................................................43
Graph 3.24: Factors Influencing Agriculture Industry in India.....................................................................................................................46
Graph 3.25: Challenges Faced by the Agriculture Industry of India..........................................................................................................46
Graph 3.26: Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry in India.......................................................................................47
Graph 3.27: Macro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities in India..........................................................48
Graph 3.28: Micro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities in India............................................................48
Graph 3.29: Future of Geospatial Technology in India....................................................................................................................................49
Graph 3.30: Organization Related Challenges in Geospatial Technology Usage in India..................................................................50
Graph 3.31: Technology Related Challenges in Adoption of Geospatial Technology in India.........................................................50
Graph 3.32: Data Related Challenges in Adoption of Geospatial Technology in India.......................................................................50
Graph 3.33: Production of Wheat in Six Selected Countries of Europe (2004-2013)...........................................................................54
Graph 3.34: Percent of Agriculture Employment to Total Employment in Six Selected Countries of Europe............................ 54
Graph 3.35: Macro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities in Europe......................................................56
Graph 3.36: Micro-Level Usage of Geospatial Technology in Agricultural Activities in Europe .....................................................56
Graph3.37:TypesofFarmingPracticesPrevalentinEurope.............................................................................................................................57
Graph 3.38: Level of Adoption of Geospatial Technologies in Europe......................................................................................................58
Graph 3.39: Value Proposition of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry of Europe............................................................58
Graph 3.40: Challenges of Geospatial Technology Usage in Agriculture Industry in Europe...........................................................59
Graph 3.41: Mexico’s Top Ten Farm Products (2002 – 2012)..........................................................................................................................63
Graph 3.42: Production of Major Crops of USA(2004-2013)..........................................................................................................................64
Graph 3.43: Influencing Factors of Agriculture Industries in North America............................................................................................65
Graph 3.44: Challenges Faced by the Agricultural Industry in North America......................................................................................66
Graph 3.45: Major Geospatial Technology in North America ......................................................................................................................66
Graph 3.46: Macro-level Usage of Geospatial Technology in North America.........................................................................................67
Graph 3.47: Micro-level Usage of Geospatial Technology in North America..........................................................................................68
Graph 3.48: Adoption Level of Precision Framing in USA and Mexico......................................................................................................68
Graph 3.49: Value Proposition of Geospatial Technology in Agriculture Industry in North America............................................69
Graph 3.50: Organizational Level Challenges in N. America.........................................................................................................................70
Graph 3.51: Technology Level Challenges in N. America ...............................................................................................................................70
Graph 3.52: Data Level Challenges of in N. America........................................................................................................................................70
List of Abbreviations
CPC - Crop Production Cycle
EO – Earth Observation
ESA – European Space Agency
EU – European Union
FAO - Food and Agriculture Org
GDP – Gross Domestic Products
GEO - Group on Earth Observations
GeoCAP - Geothermal Capacity
Building Programme
GIS - Geographic Information
Systems
GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System
GPS – Global Positioning System
G20 – Group of 20
G-powered – Geospatial Powered
G-Tech - Geospatial Technology
IT – Information Technology
LiDAR - Light Detection and Ran-
ging
LISS - Linear Imaging Self Scanner
MARS
RS - Remote Sensing
SAGE
UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
USD – US Dollars

Agriculture is not just the world’s largest employer and
largest industry, it is a way of life for an overwhelmin-
gly large number of people around the world. All major
countries of the world depend on agriculture in one way
or another. The fact that agriculture employs more than
one billion people globally and generates over USD 1.3
trillion dollars worth of food annually. Pasture and crop-
land occupy around 50% of habitable land and provide
habitat and food for a multitude of species. Agriculture
contributed a mere 6% percent to global GDP in 2013.
The contribution, however, differs from region to region
and continent to continent. In the developing econo-
mies, agriculture constitutes a high proportion of GDP
and even higher percentage of workforce. Seen from the
context of climate change, agriculture can be an impor-
tant source for reducing carbon emissions and helping
vulnerable people adapt to climate change.
The focus of the report is on four regions: Asia-Pacific,
Europe, South Asia and North America. Within those
regions a number of countries are selected. The section
on Europe deals with Germany, Switzerland, the Nether-
lands, Spain, Denmark and Belgium. The section on
Asia-Pacific is concerned with Indonesia, Malaysia, Phil-
ippines, Japan and Australia. In South Asia one country is
covered: India and in North America two: Mexico and the
United States. The analysis is the combined result of res-
ponses to questionnaires, interviews and general intelli-
gence gathering. It is important to distinguish between
the agri-food sector and the ‘primary’ sector of agricul-
ture. The latter has a much lower contribution to GDP
and is the focus of this analysis, although parts of the
more general agri-food sector will be taken into account
when they are relevant for geospatial technology.
General trends
The improved use of ICT in agriculture plays an impor-
tant role in raising the agricultural production and pro-
ductivity up to the desired level: an increase of 50% of
agricultural production is required by 2050. This has
to be achieved in a sustainable way, while taking into
account adaptation to and mitigation of the possible
consequences of climate change.
Several trends can be identified.
• Increased use of automated machinery. This
machinery will be lighter than the traditional
equipment, resulting in energy savings.
• Application of sensing with a focus on plant spe-
cific information (down to 2 centimetre accu-
racy). Sensing will provide information on crop
development (or the status of forage for live-
stock), fertilizer requirement, water use, pesti-
cide application (based on early detection of
pests and diseases), weed control, soil moisture,
soil structure and nutrient management. Most
likely a combination of satellite information and
of data obtained from UAVs will be used.
• More efficient and effective management of
assets and operations and avoidance of mistakes
and redundancy in operations
• Integrated supply, chain management and
geo-tracking tracing are other future trends,
including reduction of post-harvest loss.
• Increased sophistication of agricultural infor-
mation systems that benefit both farmers and
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

government by providing evaluation of land
suitability, a basis for taxation, insurance and
compliance with regulations, monitoring of
yields and support to agricultural extension.
- Use of improved and refined market information
for both farmers and traders. Through either
e-commerce or m-commerce the farmer will be
informed about prices and markets.
Open data, access to data and capability of handling of
big data will be very important. Closely associated with
this is the compatibility of systems. Too often farmers
still have to improvise to make devices work the way
they want to and to use them in a connected way for
general farm management. Companies that are able to
provide integrated and workable solutions will have a
definite advantage.
Europe
The Common Agriculture Policy of the European Union
determines for a large part the agricultural agenda. It
aims at modernization of the sector, increase of produc-
tion (intensification) and an increased attention for the
environment (achieving the green economy). Farmers
represent less than 5% of the European Union‘s (EU‘s)
working population, yet manage nearly half of the EU‘s
land area.
Precision Farming has moved from good science to good
practice. The use of the highly mechanized instruments,
farming practices, fertilizers, pesticides and high yiel-
ding seeds has greatly assisted the food production. The
combination of GPS and GIS systems in automated farm
machinery enables a clear map display, route planning,
navigation control, data communication, sensor system
analysis and precision positioning.
GNSS is the most widely used technology (with a con-
tribution of EGNOS and Galileo). UAV’s are experien-
cing a growing market. There is considerable attention
for open data initiatives (FOODIE, GODAN). The analytic
capability of GIS software helps achieve better analysis
with more accurate results. Web-based technologies like
cloud computing and storage facilitate seamless data
dissemination and reduce costs.
Nearly half the respondents feel that analysis of satellite
imagery with clouds and less bits and bytes is a major
limitation for the region. About a third of the respon-
dents consider the high cost of the technology and the
services as major concerns for the region. To a lesser
extent the lack of recent satellite images and topogra-
phic data are seen as limitations.
Asia-Pacific
Agribusiness is an attractive, steadily growing ($46 bil-
lion) industry that is well placed to benefit from the chan-
ging diets in Asia and growing demand for food, fibre
and bio fuel.The increasing use of new tools and techno-
logies has resulted in an increased production. From the
countries analysed, Japan is most ahead in making use
of the technology and is early adoption of new tools and
technologies. Asian agriculture is becoming increasingly
commercialized and diversified in contrast to the former
pre-occupation with cereal crop production, especially
rice.
The application of new and contemporary information,
geospatial and communication technologies (ICTs) for
rural and agricultural development in the Asia-Pacific
region has been advancing quite rapidly over the last
decade. Geospatial technology is used mostly for sur-
veying and mapping of plantation crops. Mapping of rice
is the major activity in countries like Malaysia and Indo-
nesia. Australia is among the major users of geospatial
technologies, whereas technologies like remote sensing
and GIS are most widely used for mapping of crops like
sugarcane and oil palms. At the micro level implemen-
tation of geospatial tools is mainly used for mapping of
ground water resources, drainage patterns, variable rate
application and management of fertilizers, pesticides

and insecticides. Geospatial technologies play an influ-
ential role in the agriculture sector by increasing yields,
managing of resources, prediction of outcomes and
improving farm practices.
The demand for geospatial technology and related pro-
ducts and services is increasing in the Asian region and is
expected to represent over half the world‘s market share
by 2015. Currently, countries like Australia and Japan
are widely practicing precision farming techniques. But
for Malaysia and Indonesia it is at the implementation
level. The projected geospatial market in the Asia-Pacific
region is focusses on increased use of UAV’S, LIDAR and
hyperspectral data.
At the level of data and information, availability of recent
and accurate spatial data is a concern to the Asia-Pacific
region. Communication gaps, lack of skilled manpower
and lack of clear geospatial policies are the main chal-
lenges at the institutional level, while the high cost of
hardware and/or software is the biggest challenge at the
technological level. Obviously, farm size is a constraint
for small farms that want to apply geospatial technology.
South Asia
Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the Indian economy
in ensuring food security for the nation. The majority of
India’s poor (some 770 million people or about 70 per-
cent) are found in rural areas. Nearly three-quarters of
India’s families depend on rural incomes. India is now
a net exporter of food. Accelerating the growth of agri-
culture production is therefore necessary, not only to
achieve an overall GDP target of 8 per cent during the
12th Plan and to meet the rising demand for food, but
also to increase incomes of those dependent on agricul-
ture and to ensure inclusiveness.
Since most landholdings in India are small, the majority
of farmers is practicing subsistence farming, where cul-
tivation techniques are simple and primitive. There is an
increased use of mechanized farm equipment like trac-
tors, harvesters and tillers which improves farm produc-
tivity. India is one of the largest manufacturers of various
types of farm equipment.
As farm ownership and size is a highly influential fac-
tor for the Indian agriculture sector, there is a need for
new technological innovations, which should guarantee
to sustainable approach without a reduction in yields.
Steady investments in technology development, irri-
gation infrastructure, emphasis on modern agricultural
practices and provision of agricultural credit and sub-
sidies are the major factors contributing to agricultural
growth.
Currently the potential of GIS has has not been utilized
fully for precision farming in India due to some challen-
ges like small farm holdings, diversity of crops and field
to field variability. With the advent of high accuracy glo-
bal positioning system (GPS) there are possibilities of
automating the farm operations and other mechanized
activities on small farms in India.
Geospatial applications in agriculture have grown to a
stage where they facilitate decision and policy support
for food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable
development. In India, there is vast potential for these
technologies and a good knowledge base has been esta-
blished over the years. At the farm level decision support,
near-real time information, soil condition, water use, fer-
tilizer application, pest and weed management are the
most important elements of geospatial technology.
The biggest challenge at the organizational level
encountered by the respondents are the lack of skilled
manpower in India. There is a need for training people at
all levels in the use and applications of geospatial tech-
nologies. The high cost of the hardware and software is
considered as a serious threat to the geospatial users in
the agriculture sector, as is the lack of accurate topogra-
phic, crop, soil and climate data.

North America
In the United States most farmers practice monoculture,
relying upon a single crop for their primary income, and
have expanded to very large acreages in order to take
advantage of economies of scale.The structure of agricul-
ture in Mexico has a more dualistic character with large
(US-like) farms on the one hand and more traditional
small farms on the other. Agricultural production in the
US varies, depending on weather conditions. Mexican
production has grown, but the growth rate lags behind
that of other sectors of the economy.The major products
of the US are corn, of which it is the largest producer in
the world and wheat. In Mexico the two most important
crops are corn and sugarcane.
Agriculture in the US benefits fully from mechanization,
which is developed to an advanced level, also thanks to
a large home market. Mexico has benefited less from
mechanization, large farms are the most important
users. Pollution problems, unsustainable use of resour-
ces, water scarcity and adaptation to climate change
(drought, extreme events) are the main challenges for
agriculture.
A considerable number of respondents feel that govern-
ment laws and policies are strongly affecting the agricul-
ture sector of the region. Our respondents from Mexico
feel that there is need for more policies in support of the
small farmers and enhance the food production.GIS is
the most widely used technology, closely followed by
the use of satellite imageries and GNSS/GPS.
Agriculture land cover mapping is the major area where
these technologies are used at a larger scale. Agricultu-
ral land use mapping, assessment of crop damage due
to natural and crop acreage and production estimations
are the main applications.
At the individual farm level geospatial technology is
used (in a more or less equal distribution) for early crop
disease detection, site suitability analysis, variable rate
application and management of fertilizers, water, seed,
pesticides andinsecticides, mapping of ground water
resources and identification of drainage pattern.
The main advantages of geospatial technology are opti-
mization of the use of the resources like water, seeds,
fertilizers and agrochemicals. Real time monitoring and
management of the farm operations, better analyti-
cal capabilities and better visualization of agriculture
objects using high resolution data are other important
elements.
Challenges at the organizational and institutional level
are a lack of skilled manpower, a lack of funds and finan-
cial resources, lack of communication with other user
organizations and industries, a lack of support from
higher authorities and lack of clear geospatial policies.
The main technological challenges is the lack of under-
standing in the correct applications of the technology,
a limited capacity for adaptation at the grassroots level
and the high cost of the technology. In terms of data
interoperability is considered the major limitation, fol-
lowed by the unavailability of cloud free images. Other
limitations include the spatial scale of data, lack of recent
satellite images, lack of topographic data and different
data formats.

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