Another Free Course on ICT Applications in the Precision Farming Now Available

Four online courses on digitalization in precision farming are available online thanks to European Union funding. So far, two topics have been availed to the audience: the basics of the precision farming (“Precision Farming – Basics”) and viticulture (Precision Viticulture). Now, students can expand their knowledge to include two additional topics: “Data Processing and AI” and “Precision Arable Agriculture”.

The courses are available on the online learning platform https://28digital.ea.education/adg/.

The “Robotics Applied to Agriculture” course is still in the preparation phase – it constitutes probably the most obvious demonstration of the future of a sector.

There’s no more any room for anecdotal images of children who don’t know what a cow is or kids who are afraid of chickens. Flying drones, autonomous sprinklers several dozen meters high, or multi-function combine harvesters packed with electronics, are no surprise. OK. But what does “precise” mean?

Precision agriculture, which allows farmers to use their systems based on data rather than intuition. Thanks to analyzing field variability – differences in soil, moisture, and nutrient needs – it’s possible to precisely adjust fertilization, irrigation, or plant protection, and even choose the right crops and their varieties. As a result, farmers use fewer resources, get higher yields, and reduce the environmental impact of production.

Digitalisation is the cornerstone of this process. Modern technologies provide data from satellites, drones, soil sensors, weather stations and agricultural machinery. Integrating this data enables the creation of application maps that indicate the optimal application rates for fertilisers and plant protection products for specific sections of a field. GPS and Galileo systems enable machinery to be guided with an accuracy of a few centimetres, which reduces overlapping passes and cuts fuel consumption.

Digital tools also allow the condition of crops to be monitored in real time. Drones equipped with multispectral cameras detect diseases, assess plant stress levels and analyse their water requirements. Vegetation indices, such as NDVI, provide information on the condition of crops, enabling a rapid response to adverse weather conditions or fertilisation errors.

Implementing precision farming is becoming increasingly easier. Many systems operate on a ‘plug-and-play’ basis, and older machinery can be integrated with new technologies. This means that even smaller farms can gradually adopt digital solutions, starting with simple parallel guidance systems and progressing to advanced application maps.

Why is this important for young IT professionals?

The digitalisation of agriculture is creating one of the fastest-growing fields for IT specialists. Data analysis algorithms, artificial intelligence, mobile apps, IoT systems, sensor integration, drones and robotics – all of these are becoming part of everyday life on modern farms. Precision farming needs programmers, data analysts, software developers and automation specialists. It is an industry in which young IT professionals can have a real impact on food security, environmental protection and Europe’s technological development. It is also a sector that offers a stable future, innovative projects and the opportunity to work at the intersection of technology and real-world social challenges.