From ancient times to infinity, there is that one industry among many others, that has not lost its significance and never will-which industry are we talking about here?
Well, it’s the Agriculture Industry.
Yes, the Agriculture sector, like farming, which has existed since the dawn of humanity, is no longer considered as traditional and conservative as it used to be. Now it has become more inclined towards being tech-oriented with advancements in major fields like mobile application development, cloud storage, smart meters, and more.
How? Let’s figure it out in detail!
‘Digital transformation’ has been creating a buzz in the agriculture sector for nearly a decade now. It has enabled private and governmental entities to apply innovations in the agriculture industry to revamp processes and identify new business models.
However, the term ‘digital’ did not hold the same connotation when we used to compare it with the Agriculture Industry 15 years back.
But time has changed!
According to a Markets and Markets study, the smart agriculture market is projected to reach USD 25.4 billion by 2028 from an estimated USD16.2 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2023 to 2028.
That’s phenomenal, isn’t it?
Not only that!
According to Statista, the global market size of smart agriculture is expected to grow by 34.1 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.
Nonetheless, for all that, it is and could be, what role do “mobile apps” play in agricultural transformation? Why is it essential for agribusinesses to align their strategies with the envisaged digital transformation of their businesses? And how can you create a fully-functional mobile app for farmers? Let’s discover everything in detail…
Starting from advanced technological ways to find out the best quality seeds to the best agriculture processes, there is a lot that the agriculture sector has achieved using the power of technology.
And one of the best, and most useful integration of technology that seeped into the agriculture sector is the advent of mobility.
Mobility has instantaneously become the most widely utilized method for transporting valuable data, audio, and many types of services in the world today. As the use of mobile devices evolves at an exponential rate, businesses are beginning to consider how they can make the most of mobile technology to improve their bottom line.
Mobility has indeed altered every industry, from retail to finance to healthcare, and it is now progressing into the agriculture industry like a ‘Knight in shining armor’!
The world is overwhelmed by the volume of mobile applications which are there in the market!
Although the popularity of mobile apps is on the rise, our curiosity was aroused by the reality that numerous individuals in the agri-sector are interested in agriculture mobile apps.
There is a lot that a mobile phone is capable of doing, from shopkeepers who want to utilize their phones for commercial objectives other than talking or texting to modern-day farmers who use them to seek vital information.
Some recent research clearly reveals who is utilizing which service and what the users’ desires are. The mobile app developers are determining how a specific service will fit into the life of farmers. As a result, they are developing apps with features that will be extremely valuable to farmers.
When you first try to integrate agriculture with innovative techniques, especially when you try to tie it in with app development, you might be a little taken aback.
To be honest, though, that actually makes a lot of sense if you’re just starting!
But, there are numerous benefits to it than meets the eye!
So, without further ado let’s figure out the benefits of building robust mobile apps for your agriculture business.
Farmers are eager to learn about new and inventive strategies to grow their companies. As a result, farming apps are exceedingly desired and will have a serious influence on the same. Some of the benefits are listed below.
Information is vital for a farmer’s sustainability. They’d be doomed if they didn’t know what the weather would be like in the foreseeable future or which land area would be better for what type of produce.
That’s where mobile applications act as a saving grace. They provide farmers with any knowledge they need at just the push of a button. Apps can also be used to assess terrain using drones. It saves farmers a significant amount of time and reduces dangers, which is one of the factors that has such a beneficial influence on farmers.
With the development of mobile apps, farmers now have access to a plethora of farm management equipment and information monitoring systems that enable them to increase economic and agricultural output. Farms that have embraced technological breakthroughs have seen a clear movement away from traditional, time-consuming methods and towards more advanced, cost-effective operations.
Mobile apps enable the digital unification of many stakeholders, giving farmers substantially greater access to agricultural and farm inputs, as well as financial institutions, among other things. This, in particular, assists smallholder farmers in overcoming some of their obstacles, such as a lack of present market prices and other critical market data, the difficulty to negotiate prices, and difficulty finding access to different customers.
Another noteworthy advantage of implementing a digitized agriculture system is that it offers users precise real-time data. Amalgamation of farm and satellite-imaging-based intelligence through mobile apps delivers advanced analytics on performance based on a wide range of growth circumstances, allowing farmers to efficiently manage farm operations and utilize resources.
Farmers are no exception to the rule that now every business owner should be well-versed about the recent developments in the market. This is especially significant for folks living in rural areas.
They must gather as much market knowledge as possible in pursuit of negotiating power. And, with the usage of a mobile app, you have access to all of the market information you require.
Similar to every other industry, technological advancement allows organizations to boost efficiency, and farmers are no exception. High-tech equipment combined with mobile apps significantly improves performance. Farmers save time and money by integrating automatic watering equipment, enhanced communication, GPS trackers, and digital surveillance systems.
Infections frequently spread among crops and, in most cases, can have disastrous consequences if not addressed. Farmers no longer need to consult an expert for this because of an app. They can just look up appropriate treatment on the phone.
Now that we understand the relevance of mobile apps in the agricultural sector and all of the must-have elements for agriculture app development, let’s speak about how to design an agriculture app.
Developing an agriculture mobile app is a cumbersome process in which planning is essential. So, let’s ponder on some essential stages in building a responsive mobile app for your agri-business.
Ideation serves as the initial step in developing agribusiness apps, in which you seek answers to numerous problems. The queries may concern how you aim for your agriculture apps to assist your farmers, as well as the location, country, or area you wish to target.
Take these questions into account as you work on your concept.
Which platform is most popular among your target demographic?
Is there a farming app that solves the same challenge, and how will your farming app earn revenue?
Clearly defining previous questions is the second stage in agriculture app development. This step directs your analysts and requires them to create an exact project layout. Your layout should include both operational(technical) and non-technical parameters for your agribusiness apps. Aside from that, you must outline the user’s experience to create a complete project specification document.
This document is critical because it serves as documentation, teaching developers, and keeping everyone together on the exact same path. The requirements document keeps track of agricultural apps’ functionality, developers, deadlines, costs, and all that is required for developing an app.
Agriculture app developers are expected to outline the appropriate back-end APIs, third-party services, cloud storage, and other app architecture-based parts of the development phase in the following stage.
Designers, on the other hand, begin planning features, graphics, controls, and so on by creating wireframes and afterward prototypes. At this level, developers should tread cautiously and prioritize creating a scalable base that they may modify as needed in the future.
Several technologies and tools are required for Native, Cross-platform, and Hybrid app development. The app specification sheet you prepared before serves as a baseline, ensuring that nothing is overlooked during development.
In the meantime, the quality assurance staff continues with the testing phase after each module is developed by the programmers. This form of testing aids app development by providing simultaneous testing assistance and dealing with intricacy testing.
Your agriculture app is set to be rolled out after successful development and testing, with cross-checking that the final product fulfills all demands. Next, ensure that nothing has been included that is with the Play Store or App Store criteria.
After your agribusiness app is online on the desired platforms, you must digitally promote them using analytical techniques. It may take some time to increase the number of downloads, but you must remain consistent with your excellent services.
Maintenance and support are the final legs of your agriculture app development and will persist perpetually. It’s crucial to maintain your agriculture apps up to date with evolving agricultural and mobile technology. You may be wondering why it is so important to keep your agriculture mobile apps up to date. Well, it is essential to make your app run smoothly and without errors to draw new consumers and acquire a competitive advantage.
Mobile agriculture has successfully ventured into previously untapped regions. Agricultural app development is currently assisting many farmers and agriculture-based enterprises in growing and expanding their production in pursuit of reaching a larger market.
Wouldn’t you agree that being in the agricultural system has never been more fascinating? With that being said, your agriculture company mobile application should be packed with features that are beneficial, simple to use, and will assist you in expanding your firm.
These are some characteristics that an agri-businessowner should incorporate into the agriculture app creation method.
Forecasting is a critical component in the development of agricultural apps. With these qualities, farmers will be able to foresee the climate and crop viability much further in advance, allowing them to take the necessary precautions to protect their crops.
Crop disease treatment is a powerful function that can be incorporated into agriculture app development since it allows farmers to effortlessly contact experts who can provide them with the best treatment guidance.
This incredible feature allows farmers to conduct consultations through video conferencing without requiring them to physically travel somewhere.
Using GPS tracking in the building of an agribusiness app can add greater value to the app than you could possibly anticipate. This function allows the display of the complete field in a handbook that might assist farmers in monitoring crops at any point in time.
Product listing is an excellent feature if the farm app development is simply a marketplace where you can offer commodities such as pesticides, seeds, and equipment.
Scheduling is an excellent feature to include in an agricultural application to maintain the crop schedule in a way that helps farmers and other Agri-industry workers.
A calendar is yet another essential component for agriculture app development. With this function, the farmer might provide a calendar to the laborers to keep the crops organized and immaculate.
Drones are quickly growing into a vital and widely used agriculture technology. Farmers can use drones to determine where crops are thriving and weak, allowing them to make improvements specifically where they are needed. Thermal cameras on drones can assist detect leaky pipes and determine how much water crops receive. Furthermore, drones may distribute pesticides and samples to farmers from anywhere and at any time.
Streaming video and broadcast are also excellent app features. These enable experts to resolve frequent questions and farmers to participate in live video discussions. Broadcasting also allows farmers to impart their knowledge and important advice, resulting in the formation of a community within your application.
Certain agricultural applications rely heavily on visual data and machine learning. It enables farmers to detect plant illnesses at a preliminary phase, detect weeds, monitor nitrogen levels, and assess leaf damage. These datasets and cloud-based technologies can be used to create an agriculture application that can assist farmers.
A payment gateway, just like a typical application, is a vital function that an agriculture-based software must have. If you as the agriculture business owner are aiming at creating a marketplace, a payment system where the user may make payments for goods and equipment is required.
Any mobile application must have push notifications. They assist farmers in keeping track of many tasks that demand their attention, alerting them to updates, and crises, and reminding them of calendar events. Rich push notifications, which include images and even maps, can be used to provide even more info in your messages.
Technology has permeated practically every aspect of agricultural operations, from sowing crops to selling them to end users. Here are some farming apps that can help farmers grow crops, care for them, estimate environmental impact, and monitor other aspects of their agricultural business, such as livestock.
So, let’s have a look at some of the distinct types of agriculture mobile apps that are benefitting farmers and agriculture businesses in every way…
It is difficult to single out one form of agricultural application as the most popular, although trading apps certainly have a lot of farmers’ interest. These mobile apps unite farmers with dealers and enable sales and transaction monitoring. There are even platforms for selling defective things so that they do not go to waste.
Farm planning and mapping apps are two more popular agricultural technology products. Farmers can use them to monitor and analyze crop growth, animal care and as well as predict and prevent unfavorable conditions.
One of the most essential aspects of growing crops is the weather. As a result, climate and weather applications are extremely valuable to farmers. Therefore, these apps allow farmers to adjust the ambient temperature of the air and ground, as well as receive weather notifications. All of this makes it considerably simpler to implement proactive steps in safeguarding crops from deterioration.
Agriculture GPS apps are useful in smart agriculture, where farmers use AI and IoT, among other AI technologies. This type of app lets you regulate the operation of automated devices in the field or take land inspections.
Overall, there are two approaches to creating a customized agricultural app: hire an app development business or establish an expensive in-house team of developers.
We know that you’d like to opt for the first option.
Once you’ve finally agreed on an app idea, it’s time to transform it into a working app leveraging cutting-edge technology. Let us inform you that numerous technologies can be used to create a specific farming app, but we’ve highlighted a few of them here:
– Node.js
– React
– Python
– React Native
– TypeScript
Antino Labs is a multi-award-winning mobile app development company that specializes increasing and modernizing cutting-edge agricultural solutions and other applications. We provide complete agriculture mobile app development solutions that address the various app needs of farmers and vendors.
Our agricultural mobile application will assist your farming business in a variety of ways, including increased crop yield and revenue.
Folks, do you have a project in mind? Why not test our skills? We can help you build custom mobile app solutions for your Agriculture business.
So, if you’re ready for a tech transformation in your agroecosystem, contact our pros right away!
