Table of Contents
The agriculture sector is not limited to crop cultivation only.
It involves a variety of complex operations such as selecting high yield seed varieties, using the right fertilizers, production, crop maintenance, harvesting ripened crops, and much more!
The world relies on farming for not just sustenance, but also to provide raw materials for several industries. About 80% of the world’s food is produced by family farms.
Considering the extent to which the world relies on the agricultural sector, it’s about time for this traditional sphere to transition towards modernization through the introduction of the latest technologies.
Modern machinery and farm equipment, along with the development of fertilizers and seed varieties has multiplied yields for farmers.
The introduction of mobile apps for farmers has further innovated the industry and simplified agricultural processes for farmers.
The demand for such apps by farmers may be small, but it is emerging. Because of the benefits and improvements that these apps bring to agricultural processes, more and more farmers are adopting these tech-oriented techniques.
From enhanced mobility and increased IoT connected devices, to easily transferring various data realms, mobile app development has also benefited the agriculture sector.
App developers continue to roll out new technologies that help users raise productivity levels exponentially. Thanks to Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, mobile apps have moved a step further in terms of advancement.
Farmers are continuously searching for new and state-of-the-art ways to accelerate their business, thus farming apps are openly embraced and massively impact the industry.
Where do Agriculture Apps Go from Here?
So where do farming apps go from here? What trends shape their future?
Experts from ag-tech companies have provided several insights into the upcoming trends that will shape mobile app development above and beyond 2023.
With fast-paced advancements in our digital lives, security is becoming increasingly important to users of digital technology. This means AuthO, SSO providers, and other secure login technologies are becoming must-haves for agriculture app developers.
Mobile app integration has become a significant trend very recently. Mobile app development companies are looking to collaborate with other app providers instead of rolling out new apps that each perform a distinct function.
This is because users don’t demand a range of apps to get their work done anymore. Consequently, app providers have lost interest in investing in new apps that can’t accomplish much.
Developers of ag apps emphasize enhancing analytic capabilities.
Previously, apps were not advanced enough to offer reporting capabilities to users. Hence, desktop-only applications were offered to users that were linked to a mobile application.
However, now mobile apps can integrate with specialized analytics platforms that offer advanced analytics to users on their mobile devices.
For instance, Agworld can integrate with Microsoft Power BI, allowing users to include the statistics that are important to them in a custom dashboard. Power BI also permits users to integrate data from other platforms.
The most prominent trend is increased user preference for simple, intuitive, and easy-to-use flows to eliminate any confusion on what action needs to be taken.
App providers are trying to simplify their ‘get started’ processes to build trust between users and the app.
The COVID 19 pandemic has not left anything untouched. Every consumer has been impacted which has had a ripple effect on industries. Mobile apps and agriculture are no exception.
Users have become increasingly reliant on their smartphones and this effect is transferring to the agricultural sector too.
Users of farm apps demand mobility and increased communication. For them, getting real-time updates is of utmost importance.
Top 10 Agriculture Apps for Smart Farming in 2023
Whether a farmer produces fruit, vegetable, grain, or deals with livestock, purchasing a farm management system can be a hassle!
Hundreds of new apps roll out every day and add to the existing plethora of agriculture apps, making it difficult for farmers to decide which one is worth taking the space on their home screens.
It is easy to download and then delete an app later, once you decide you don’t need it anymore. However, precious time is wasted, and it can be quite frustrating when an app doesn’t turn out the way you expected it to.
Here are the top agriculture apps that you wouldn’t want to miss out, in 2023:
- Agri ERP:
Commercial farms involve practising agriculture on a vast scale. Large scale production may lead to managerial problems if they are not tackled with care.
Monitoring the condition of crops across acres of land is time-consuming and costly since the farmer might have to hire additional workers. Managing inventory and supplies is difficult. On top of that, keeping track of expenditure and revenues leads to further problems.
Agri ERP is a one-stop solution designed to cater to all the needs of a commercial farm. The app helps streamline agricultural processes of various kinds of farms, from fruit orchards and vegetable farms to poultry farms or ranches.
The app provides maximum control to farm owners, allowing them to boost productivity while minimizing wastage.
Agri ERP boasts unique features that are flexible and easy to use. Hence, regardless of the size of your farm, you can leverage its powerful features to maximize efficiency!
- FarmHand:
Labor shortages are a serious issue for farmers that hinders production and prevents farms from reaching their maximum potential.
Although technological advancement in the agricultural sector has boosted production by streamlining operations using sensors, automation, and artificial intelligence, farmers often find it difficult to find labor.
FarmHand, available on both Google’s Play Store, and Apple’s App Store, is designed to tackle this problem. The app allows farmers to post jobs, review applicants, and thus hire people they think are best suited for the task at hand.
Job seekers, on the other hand, can download the app and look for open positions based on their specified location range and interests.
The app bridges the gap between farmers looking for labor, and workers in search of a task such as trucking, custom fieldwork, general farm labor, and much more.
The app allows both parties to rate each other and communicate via the built-in messaging system.
- Totheshelf:
Totheshelf is an online platform that connects local farmers with buyers in a specific location.
Farmers can join the app through a smartphone or a tablet and register for free. Once registered, farmers can list their products along with their prices.
Registered users view the posted products and place an order in addition to the terms of delivery set by the company or the seller.
Although free users can view product listings, they cannot place orders or view farmer details. For this, a subscription is required.
Totheshelf links farmers with world traders, exporters, importers, retailers, small consumers, and cooperatives. Several industries join the app to search for farm-related supplies needed for production.
- TractorZoom:
A farmer who, working with a farmland private equity group, looking to purchase farm equipment for his own business created the concept behind TractorZoom.
With the surging pandemic, it has become increasingly difficult for farms to do business. TractorZoom aims to keep equipment pricing transparent, allowing farmers to get the job done despite fluctuations in the market for farm equipment.
The platform allows auctioneers to create accounts and list equipment for sale. These products are searchable by farmers.
Farmers simply enter the name of the equipment they are in search of, and every auction on the app is displayed to them.
In case an item that they want to purchase is unavailable, farmers can create auction alerts that notify them when an item is back for sale.
Currently, more than 250 farm equipment auction companies are registered on the platform.
- Agrivi:
Agrivi is designed to help farmers raise the productivity and efficiency levels of their farms by improving their production processes.
The knowledge-based farm management software is based on the best practices for producing more than 80 apps. Agrivi not only helps farmers with data-driven decision-making but also boasts the most complete feature-set on the market.
With its simple and easy-to-use interface, farmers can plan, monitor, and track all field-related activities ranging from the workforce, inventory, finance, etc. They can also track the usage of inputs and gain insight into the overall performance of their farm through the app.
It also features inventory management and control capabilities that notify farmers when their inventories are running low, preventing production delays that are a consequence of a lack of inputs.
Other features include detailed weather forecasts of the upcoming week to users and disease risk detection alarms that allow farmers to protect their crops in any situation.
- Farmland Finder:
The idea behind the app rolled out when a fifth-generation farmer was looking for land nearby for their dairy farm operations.
In rural areas, finding land for sale is as difficult as searching for a needle in a haystack!
In most cases, properties are not listed in traditional databases. Sales are made through word of mouth or buyers hunt properties through road signs.
Farmland Finder is designed to modernize this game of farm buying and selling. Once buyers sign up (which is free of charge), they can browse listings.
Premium service can also be purchased, allowing buyers to compare sales, hunt for related data, and conduct satellite imagery analysis.
- Farmeron:
Farmeron is designed for herd and livestock management. The software allows farmers to collect all their data in one place, which they can access later and make the right decisions at the right time.
Some features of the app include adding animal lists and categorizing animals in respective custom groups. Farmeron also provides insights to users on animal production activity, allowing users to track economic performance, their purchases, and their sales.
The app also boasts examining the nutritional value of feeds for livestock, as well as calculating costs of animal feed.
Farmeron can be integrated with the machinery being used on farms, which simplifies farming data management operations.
The statistics that the app provides to its user are extremely beneficial, especially when it comes to altering production processes and plans to maximize productivity.
- Cool Farm Tool:
Cool Farm Tool is designed for farmers conscious of their carbon footprint. Farmers can use the tool to calculate biodiversity, water, greenhouse gas, etc.
The app quantifies the effect of certain farming practices, helping farmers gain recognition and even payments for premium farm practices.
Thanks to the app, farmers can also gauge whether a certain practice is worth implementing on their entire farm.
The use of the app is simple. Farmers are only required to input available information including their farm size, estimated area of habitats for example ponds, hedgerows, etc., information on crop protection, and soil cultivation practices.
Although the tool is difficult to use, a user guide is available that explains how the tool can be used and results can be interpreted.
- Open Range:
Livestock animals are now considered a “regulated” good by Facebook and advertising animals on the platform are against the community guidelines. This means the platform, once a favorite of hundreds of farmers, experienced a decline in users.
Even producers who did not use Facebook to sell their animals are now less likely to post publicly and advertise their stock because of the public scrutiny associated with the advertisement of animals.
In the light of this, an Arkansas cattle producer built a platform where farmers can buy and sell not just animals and livestock, but also farm equipment.
Open Range is also open to users looking for workers plus handcrafters who wish to sell their handmade items.
The app aims to link farmers so that they can openly discuss their problems with like-minded producers.
- Climate App:
Planting a healthy crop does not just involve water regulation and the right kind of seeds. Factors such as soil temperatures, fertilizers, and insecticides play a major role in the growth of crops.
The Climate App provides users with maps that display the highs and lows of soil temperature and how it changes over a fixed period. This allows farmers to track any significant temperature changes that may impact production timelines.
The app displays the following information:
- Minimum temperature of the day before
- Maximum temperature of the day before
- 1-day soil temperature
- 7-day average soil temperature
- 1-day precipitation total
Each of these options displays a colored scale that displays this information.
Benefits of Agriculture App Development: What’s in it for Farmers?
Thanks to mobile applications, agricultural productivity has reached new heights.
In 2019, the smart agriculture market was valued at $16746.7 million and by 2027, it is estimated to reach $29,234.6.
Considering how quickly the world’s population is rising every day, the agricultural sector needs to upgrade accordingly to cope with the growing demand for food.
Using modern technology in agriculture has several advantages:
Providing Information:
In the agricultural sector, the key to survival is information. To maximize their yield and minimize risks, a farmer needs to know what the weather is going to be like in the future.
A farm planning app provides farmers with weather forecasts as well as information on what kind of land is best for which crop.
This allows for them to take precautionary measures when a rainy day is predicted. Thus, production can be carried out, despite what the situation may be.
It is back-breaking for farmers to run the length of their fields to observe the condition of their crops. Thanks to the GPS tracking capabilities of mobile apps, farmers are now able to view their entire field on their phone screen and save their crops from falling prey to animals.
Access to Input and Output Markets:
Every business owner needs to know his market well. And that also applies to farmers! This is crucial for farms located in remote areas where finding markets may be strenuous.
To bridge the gap between buyers and farmers, several applications allow farmers to provide information on their products, their prices, and marketplaces, etc.
Hence, farmers can create their market where they can promote and market their products in addition to controlling and comparing their prices to other farmers.
In addition to making sales, farmers can also find necessary inputs and compare their prices. The products a farmer might need for production include:
- Pesticides
- Seeds
- Fertilizers
- Workers
- Irrigation systems
Increasing Productivity and Efficiency:
Mobile apps paired with advanced technological equipment boost the efficiency of a farm.
Apps can be integrated with equipment such as GPS systems, smart monitoring systems, and even drones, that can perform laborious tasks in less time, thus raising productivity levels.
When an app is integrated with a drone system, farmers can keep an eye on all parts of their field, water their plants, and even detect the health of their crops. A drone coupled with a thermal camera helps farmers water their field where it is needed.
This means crop health is maintained and thus, yields are maximized.
Payments and Financial Services:
Payment getaways make payments much easier for both farmers and clients.
Treating Diseases:
Diseases are a common cause of yield depletion among farmers. If a disease is not dealt with on time, the effects can be devastating.
Thanks to the video and voice calling capabilities of Agri apps, farmers can now contact experts to get advice whenever they want. This prevents damage by solving problems instantly.
Conclusion:
Countless strategies can be implemented in the agricultural sector to manage farms, no matter what the size. These strategies can be applied to farms through agricultural software.
The best farming apps allow users to streamline production processes, whether they cultivate grains, fruits, vegetables, or even if they are livestock farmers.
These apps benefit farmers in several ways which have compelled more and more producers in this sector to take advantage of Agri apps.
