Remote Sensing in Post-Harvest Agriculture
For years, food and feed processors have always wondered about the conditions of their crops during storage. In many cases, they cannot physically check the status of their crops.
Fortunately, satellite and Internet communications have made it possible to remotely monitor everything through remote sensing technology. This technology is being used in numerous ways. In food production, remote sensing technology is currently being used for agricultural mapping, forecasting, and crop tracking that can help increase yields.
However, remote sensors can also be used in the post-harvest processing of food production as well. For example, since condensation can form during storage, relative humidity and temperature—factors in the development of condensation, which creates a favorable environment for pests and fungi—can be monitored. Also, in a gas-tight storage container, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels could be easily measured and monitored by remote sensors, preventing the spread of insects. This will limit human intervention and even eliminate the use of chemicals by placing commodities and the insects feeding on them in a gas-tight chamber that will starve them of oxygen. Thus, remote sensing is especially useful for organic agricultural commodities.
This is particularly true in areas with tropical climates. The humidity, sudden weather changes, and increased insect activity can pose a great risk to stored dry agricultural commodities. Taking an extra step to monitor stored organic commodities can help reduce post-harvest losses all the while retaining peak quality.
From a business perspective, remote sensing can become an important tool to reduce the financial risks associated with food and feed storage. Food producers can now increase financers’ confidence or improve their chances of having the stored commodity be accepted as collateral.
There are many benefits to remote sensing in the agriculture sector and the possibilities are limitless for food producers such as irrigation and land mapping, yield prediction and crop growth monitoring, and farmland weather forecasting, just to name a few. Although investing in such technologies can become costly, it can be very rewarding with potential benefits for both producers and consumers.
To help food producers and traders reap the benefits of remote sensing, GrainPro has developed the EcoWiSe system. This technology enables users to remotely collect data from within hermetic containers without physically opening or even visiting their storage sites. Storage conditions can be monitored by accessing temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels at a regular interval via the Internet.
Learn more about GrainPro’s post-harvest solutions by visiting www.grainpro.com
GrainPro Postharvest Technology Pvt Ltd
Office Number 18A109, WeWork Berger Tower 18th Floor,
C-001/A2, Sector 16-B, Noida, INDIA – 201301
Contact Person: Praveen Gupta, Country Manager
Number: +91 996 753 8339
Email: [email protected]