January 2013

The

ISPA Report

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In This Issue

From the President’s Desk .............1

Country Report – Saudi Arabia......2

Events ...........................................3

Invitation to the 9th European .....4 Conference on Precision Agriculture

Invitation to the 5th Asian ............5 Conference on Precision Agriculture

Country Report – Argentina ..........6

A Note From the Past President .....7

Country Report – China ................8

Brazilian Congress on ...................9 Precision Agriculture

Country Report – Ghana ............10

Scenes from the 11th .................11 International Conference on Precision Agriculture

From the President’s DeskJohn V Stafford, ISPA President

Welcome to this newsletter as the Society moves into its third year of operation. Three years is very short in the life of a learned scientific society but, as a network of researchers and practitioners in precision agriculture, we have been informally linked for many years through the three biennial conferences: International (American), European and Asian. Now all three come under the auspices of ISPA and we are in a strong position to advance and grow as a network of dedicated precision agriculture professionals. In many areas, precision agriculture has now become ‘mainstream’ – it is no longer the ‘interesting new concept’. It is talked about much more extensively and is widely recognised as a significant part of the answer to food security and meeting the needs of a growing world population. That all bodes well for the future growth and importance of the Society.

The three conferences are, in many ways, the backbone of the Society. A few months ago saw a very successful 11 ICPA in Indianapolis, USA with 160 oral presenters, 450 delegates and 35 countries represented. In addition, over 300 joined or renewed their membership of the Society and society funds were significantly augmented. Raj Khosla, our Past-President is to be congratulated as the one who headed up the conference – and also thanks to the efficient organisation of the conference by Quentin Rund and his team. As we move into 2013, 9 ECPA in Lleida, Spain draws ever closer. As Editor of Proceedings, I am sitting at my (virtual!) desk processing 140 papers for the conference. That number compares well with the very successful conferences in Sweden and Greece. I predict a very good conference under the enthusiastic leadership of Àlex Escolà in Lleida – one which will be well worth attending!

Some have queried whether 3 conferences every two years might be just too much! 5 ACPA takes place in Korea also in 2013. I am sure, though, that it will attract good papers and good attendance because precision agriculture is now so important worldwide. As the Society moves on, it is good to have Ken Sudduth as our new President-Elect, someone who is very well-known in PA circles and has an impressive research and publication record. We also welcome Tyrell Fickenscher as treasurer and thank Nicolas Tremblay for continuing as secretary.

Welcome to the second issue of the ISPA Report, our Society newsletter. ISPA continues to grow and to offer new benefits to our members. As detailed below, you now receive full electronic access to the journal Precision Agriculture. We invite you to check it out! Also in this issue are several conference and country reports. We hope you find the newsletter enjoyable and informative. If you have any suggestions for the content of future issues, please let me know.

Ken SudduthISPA Newsletter Editor

NEW! Full access to papers in Precision Agriculture

Check out this new benefit of ISPA membership:

• Login as member at www.ispag.org

• Click the Members tab at the upper far right

• Select “Precision Agriculture journal”

• Journal website will open in a new window

• Click “Browse Volumes & Issues” to see all that are available

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Saudi Arabia, with an area of approximately 2,250,000 km2, is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and is the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria). It has an estimated population of 27 million. Situated in the tropical and sub-tropical desert region with an arid climate, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is exposed to dry winds and has limited water resources. There are virtually no rivers or lakes in the country, but valleys are numerous. The few fertile areas are found in the alluvial deposits in valleys, basins, and oases. In 2005, the

cultivated area was 1,213,586 ha, of which 1,011,923 ha consisted of annual crops and 201,663 ha was permanent crops. The Kingdom has implemented a multifaceted program to provide the vast supplies of water necessary to meet demands of the agricultural sector. A network of dams has been built to trap and utilize precious seasonal floods. Vast underground water reservoirs have been tapped through deep wells. Desalination plants have been built to produce fresh water from the sea for urban and industrial use, thereby freeing other sources for agriculture. Facilities have also been put into place to treat urban and industrial run-off for agricultural irrigation. These efforts collectively have helped transform vast tracts of the desert into fertile farmland.

Non-renewable fossil water is mined from depths as great as 1 km, pumped to the surface, and distributed via large centre pivot irrigation feeds. The fossil waters mined are

not being replenished under current climatic conditions. The agricultural projects, therefore, will have limited life as the reservoirs are drained. The center pivot irrigated crops include alfalfa, Rhodes grass, potato and wheat.

Precision Agriculture in Saudi Arabia

Sustainable agriculture in the harsh environment of Saudi Arabia with limited and finite water resources has to meet production efficiency, conserve water resources, protect the environment, maintain cultural diversity and yet satisfy food and water needs of the

growing population. Hence, adoption of precision agriculture (PA) technology is becoming crucial in Saudi Arabia due to its unlimited potential to address the issue of sustainable agriculture.

King Saud University (KSU) took a pioneering step in this direction by the establishment of the Precision Agriculture

Research Chair (PARC) (https://c.ksu.edu.sa/parc/en) in June 2009. This establishment of the chair is the only activity pertaining to PA in Saudi Arabia up to the present. The PARC concept was conceived by Dr. Khalid Al-Gaadi, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural Engineering of KSU’s College of Food and Agricultural Sciences. PARC employs a multidisciplinary team of Agricultural Engineers, Remote Sensing and GIS scientists and Agronomists. One of the main objectives of PARC is to raise the awareness of PA, not only in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but also throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It also focuses on showcasing the important role of PA in eliminating, or at least greatly reducing the undesired economic and environmental consequences of misuse of agricultural inputs, and on introducing, developing and promoting PA technologies for the benefit of farming communities. PARC serves as a research and training center to

implement the various revolutionary concepts and technology available, and eventually to develop a mechanism to bring together the research, academic and supporting resources of King Saud University and of partners at other regional and international universities and agricultural centers. Two collaboration agreements have been put in place, one with the National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC), and the other with a commercial farm near Al-Kharj city to the northeast of Riyadh, the capital city.

PARC is currently undertaking two PA related projects funded by The National Plan for Science and Technology (NPST) through King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). One of the two projects involves the use of precision fertigation technology to optimize the use of irrigation water and fertilizers on wheat. The initial first year results from this two year project are very promising, indicating that by adopting this technology, a considerable amount of irrigation water can be saved without affecting crop yield. The other project addresses Water Productivity Mapping (WPM) of major crops grown in the country. Evapotranspitation (ET) maps for the test crops namely, wheat, alfalfa, Rhodes grass and corn were prepared using land surface temperature (LST) layers derived from ASTER satellite images. Considerable spatial variability in ET and water productivity of

Country Report – Saudi Arabia Khalid A. Al-Gaadi and V.C. Patil, Precision Agriculture Research Chair (PARC), College of Food

and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Todhia arable farm between the Al-Kharj and Haradh regions of Saudi Arabia.

Variable rate center pivot irrigation system.

…continued on page 3

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Country Report – Saudi Arabia …continued from page 3

crops was observed. The results of this study will help in planning for efficient use of scarce and finite irrigation water resources.

Workshops, Seminars, and Training

An important function of PARC is to provide education about PA. The following are educational activities undertaken for the benefit of PARC faculty and students.

• Two seminars were organized on May 12, 2010. Presentations were made by two eminent scientists and Visiting Professors to PARC, KSU. The first one on “Future of Precision Agriculture” was presented by Prof. Simon Blackmore. The second one on “Precision Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities” was presented by Dr. Raj Khosla.

• PARC organized a guest lecture on “Agricultural Robots” on May 17, 2010, which was delivered by Prof. Simon Blackmore.

• PARC organized a training workshop on “Hyper Spectral Imagery and Use of Spectroscopic Techniques in Precision Agriculture” on June 7, 2011. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Amer Alroichdi of Mapping Solutions Ltd., UK.

• Prof. Dr. Kamal Alameh, the Director of

Electron Science Research Institute and Center of Excellence for Micro Photonic Systems, Edith Cowan University, Australia, delivered a lecture on “Use of Laser Technology for Precision Agriculture” on September 20, 2011.

• PARC organized a workshop on “Use of Eddy Covariance Systems in Precision Agriculture and Use of LAI-2200 Plant Canopy Analyzer” on February 25, 2012. The speakers were Dr. Richard L. Garcia and Mr. Brent Claassen from LI-COR Biosciences, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

• Prof. D.J. Mulla, Larson Chair for Soil and Water Resources, Director of Precision Agriculture Center, University of Minnesota, USA shared his experiences through a presentation on “Precision Nitrogen Management in Corn and Potato” on March 5, 2012.

• PARC organized a workshop on March 7th, 2012 on “Precision Agriculture for Preservation of Natural Resources” in the 27th meeting of the Saudi Biological Society held in Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia. In this workshop, Prof. D.J. Mulla made an impressive presentation on “Advances in Remote Sensing for Precision Agriculture”.

Some of the PARC team members in a training session on the use of a Field Spec 3 spectroradiometer.

Events27-28 February 2013Precision AG UpdateCalgary, Alberta, Canadahttp://www.areca.ab.ca/events/pagupdate.html

4-7 March 2013The Dahlia Greidinger International Symposium 2013, “Advanced Methods for Investigating Nutrient Dynamics in Soil and Ecosystems”Technion-IIT, Haifa, Israelhttp://dgsymp13.technion.ac.il/

25-28 June 20135th Asian Conference on Precision AgricultureJeju Island, Republic of Koreawww.precisionag.or.kr

7-11 July 20139th European Conference on Precision AgricultureLleida, Catalonia, Spainhttp://www.ecpa2013.udl.cat/

16-18 July 2013InfoAg 2013Springfield, Illinois, USAhttp://www.infoag.org/

21-24 July 2013ASABE Annual International MeetingKansas City, Missouri, USAwww.asabemeetings.org

28-29 August 2013IFAC Agricontrol 2013Espoo, Finlandhttp://agricontrol2013.automaatioseura.com

10-12 September 20136th European Conference on Precision Livestock FarmingLeuven, Belgiumwww.ecplf2013.eu

19-22 September 20136th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies in Agriculture, Food and EnvironmentCorfu Island, Greecehttp://2013.haicta.gr/

3-6 November 2013ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual MeetingsTampa, Florida, USAwww.acsmeetings.org

8-9 November 2013Land Technik AgEng 2013Hannover, Germanywww.vdi.de/landtechnik-ageng

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The 9th European Conference on Precision Agriculture to be held in Lleida, Catalonia (Spain) in July 2013 is now entering in its final phase. About 150 full papers aiming to become oral presentations are under revision at present. We are proud to say that the ECPA has had a warm reception all over the world. We would like to thank all those who have made it possible by promoting and endorsing the event, including our sponsors, organizations and societies and, particularly, those who have submitted a communication proposal. At present, our website has received more than 10,000 visits from more than 100 countries around the world! Most of the visits come from Catalonia and Spain. The United States, Germany, Brazil and France are behind closely together. Rather than being only a European conference, the 9th ECPA has raised a worldwide interest. At the end of the

abstract submission period, approximately half of the communications were from Europe, a quarter were American, perfectly distributed between North and South, 18% were from Asia, and far behind were Africa and Australia (visit www.ecpa2013.udl.cat/papers_posters.html for details).

We are now working on the program of the conference. On Sunday, July 7th we are having a welcome reception with a cold buffet at our Old Cathedral (13th century) on top of the hill with Lleida at our feet. We would like to start every morning meeting all together for contacts and discussions. On Monday and Tuesday we will have plenary sessions with keynotes. On Wednesday we will have a field demo and a visit to a vineyard using Precision Viticulture techniques. On Thursday we will have a roundtable discussion about the slogan of the conference “Facing new challenges, providing new solutions” and the closing ceremony.

While the Scientific Committee is reviewing the oral communications, it is time to start

preparing the posters. A digital Book of Poster Abstracts will be issued and we will do our best to collect all poster images in order to include them in the publication. Poster abstract instructions are already available at www.ecpa2013.udl.cat/papers_posters.html. Poster instructions will be uploaded in short. Check the website regularly so that you do not miss any information (www.ecpa2013.udl.cat). The deadline for both poster abstract and poster image submission is March 15th 2013. This is also the deadline for taking advantage of the poster printing service.

Take into account that early bird registration deadline is February 28th and that current ISPA members have a special registration fee. We encourage all of you to come to Lleida to share your research and experience. Come and discover Lleida in summer. Lleida is the agricultural heart of Catalonia (visit http://goo.gl/maps/FFHle to know why).

I take advantage of this opportunity to wish you a prosperous and healthy 2013.

Invitation to the 9th European Conference on Precision Agriculture Alex Escolà, Chairman of the 9th ECPA

We look forward to welcoming you in Lleida!

Ens veiem a Lleida!

¡Nos vemos en Lleida!

About ISPA

The mission of ISPA is to advance the science and practice of precision agriculture globally, primarily by facilitating information exchange among precision agriculture scientists, students and practitioners.

The officers of ISPA, listed below, welcome your input as we continue to enhance your Society.

President John Staffordpresident@ispag.org

President-Elect Ken Sudduthpresident-elect@ispag.org

Secretary Nicolas Tremblaysecretary@ispag.org

Treasurer Tyrell Fickenschertreasurer@ispag.org

Past President Raj Khoslapast-president@ispag.org

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On behalf of the organizing committee of the conference and the Korean Society of Precision Agriculture, it is our great pleasure to invite you to the 5th Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture (ACPA). The Organizing Committee of the 5th ACPA is honored to host this event in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, during the period of June 25-28, 2013.

Precision agriculture (PA), also known as site-specific crop management, has been well-established in North America, Europe, and Australia, where production fields are relatively large. Precision agriculture has attracted interest and has seen some limited adoption in Asian countries. Reasons for this interest are social concerns regarding environmental problems, global demands for environmentally safe agriculture, and labor shortages due to a decreasing and aging rural population. These factors are driving the change of agriculture to site-specific field and crop management in Asian countries with unique agricultural conditions and consumer needs.

The concept of PA can also be applied to horticulture and livestock production. We, the organizing committee members, hope that the 5th ACPA will help Asian countries learn from other continents, share experiences among member countries, and discuss issues for a better future of Asian agriculture.

The conference will include a plenary session, concurrent oral and poster technical presentation sessions, and a technical tour. In

the plenary session, world-leading scientists from North America, Europe, and other continents will be invited to communicate past experiences, recent developments, and future directions, with an emphasis on the relationship to Asian PA. Representatives from Asian countries will be also invited to describe their unique agricultural conditions, share recent developments, and discuss the future direction of Asian PA. Topics for technical presentations may include data collection and variability, data processing and decision-making support systems, site-specific crop and field management practices, profitability and environmental effects of PA, use of information technology (e.g., traceability), sensors and control systems, education, and on-farm research.

Jeju Island or Jeju-Do (pronounced as cheju) is an island located near the southern coast of the South Korean mainland. Jeju Island, formed by volcanic activity, has many places to visit, and has recently been named a World

Heritage Natural Site. Jeju Island features South Korea’s tallest mountain peak, Mt. Halla, whose top has a crater containing a lake. There are also several beautiful rock formations around the mountain. Seongsan Ilchulbong, formed by volcanic activity, is another popular tourist destination. It is called the “Sunrise Peak” because of its beautiful ocean view. Jeju Island offers a variety of recreational activities like horse riding, hiking (there are 4 major hiking trails in Mt. Halla), boat and submarine cruises, scuba diving, fishing, paragliding, and more.

Please visit www.precisionag.or.kr for detailed information. We look forward to meeting you at the 5th ACPA in Korea, 2013.

Invitation to the 5th Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture Sun-Ok Chung, Chairperson of 5th ACPA

ISPA Founding Sponsor

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Adoption of precision agriculture in Argentina is at one of the highest levels in Latin America, since farmers and agribusiness see PA technologies as a way to reduce costs in grain production, to increase productivity, to make input use more efficient, and to implement good agricultural practices. The key problem is underfertilization of the most fertile soils in the Pampas: the average replenishment of soil nutrients extracted by crops every year is only 27%.

In Argentina, the agricultural sector contributes 17% of GDP, while it represents 57% of total exports. Argentina ranked 10th in international trade of agricultural products in 2010. Grain production of the main crops in 2011 was 104 million metric tons, over an area of 32.5 million hectares. The most important crops are soybeans and corn, representing 70% of grain production and planted area.

The first functional yield monitor was installed in Córdoba in 1996, with a DGPS ground-based correction antenna. Currently, there are about 8100 combines equipped with yield monitor and GPS, that harvest approximately 60% of the total area of the main crops, due to their large size, and because they belong to large landowners (40%) or to custom operators (60%). This makes Argentina second in worldwide adoption, following the USA; although the country ranks fourth when it comes to density (172 monitors per million hectares), after Germany, USA and Denmark (Griffin et al., 2010).

Regarding other precision agriculture technologies, the single most adopted technology, with an estimated number of 16880 systems, is GPS guidance. These include 900 in airplanes, 13270 in sprayers, and 2710 auto-pilots. Furthermore, there are about 2800 variable-rate fertilizer applicators, including 2050 VR planters and fertilizer applicators (solid), and 750 VR self-propelled fertilizer applicators (liquid).

The most important research efforts in precision agriculture are carried out by the

National Institute for Agricultural Technology (INTA) and by public universities, mainly Buenos Aires University (UBA) and Rio Cuarto National University (UNRC).

The Precision Agriculture Project of INTA is the leader in extension services; they organize an annual workshop with over 1000 attendees each year. Farmers, crop consultants, agribusinesses and about 100 PA service providers meet at the event to discover new products and processes, leading the way to innovation and adoption. On farm demonstrations and training seminars complete the shows each year. INTA has also carried out scientific work through a scientific and technological project, whose research results have been published in the special issue Precision Agriculture in Latin America of Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (Bongiovanni, 2007), the book Agricultura de Precisión of PROCISUR (Bongiovanni et al., 2006), and in the Handbook of Precision Agriculture (Bongiovanni & Lowenberg-DeBoer, 2006).

Remote imagery from satellite systems and airplane-based multispectral cameras continues to improve. The use of remote

sensing data has been most economically sound for high-value crops, including viticulture. The National Commission of Spatial Activities has an online catalog of images for different uses, including agriculture. INTA is updating the soil charts of the Pampas (1:50,000) based upon satellite images and ground truth, and it has implemented a geo-referenced database for maps and images.

Also, many local universities are working on PA topics (National University of Buenos Aires, the National University of Río Cuarto, the Catholic University of Córdoba, the National University of the Centre of Buenos Aires, Austral University). Different basic and graduate-level courses are being taught and a number of Ph.D. dissertations are also being conducted. In addition to this, several research projects are carried out by a growing number of researchers with the goal of filling the gap between field evaluation and data application. Our researchers produce scientific papers in international and local journals and conferences.

In Argentina, there exists strong collaboration between the universities, the government, associations of farmers, such as AAPRESID,

Country Report – Argentina Rodolfo Bongiovanni, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), rbongiovanni@correo.inta.gov.ar

Mónica Rodríguez, Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires (UBA), mrodrigu@agro.uba.ar

…continued on page 7

Variable-rate planter at INTA show.

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CREA, and professional associations such as the Argentina Association of Agricultural Economics (AAEA) and the Argentine Association of Soil Science (AACS), which helps to foster innovation. A recent example of this collaboration was the first scientific workshop on nutrient management by zones held by the UNRC in December 2011 with participation of the AACS. It gathered 300 soil scientists and agronomists to obtain the state-of-knowledge in precision agriculture.

The fundamental constraints of adoption of PA in Argentina are similar to those in other parts of the world: insufficient research support, high human capital costs, limited education and training in PA, reduced public support and consulting services, and the high opportunity cost of management time. Most PA technologies are information-intensive, and compete with those technologies with embodied knowledge. PA requires lots of field level data to make decisions; it demands additional data and skills, and it needs to process large datasets from yield monitors and soil samples in order to develop recommendations for variable-rate applications. On the other hand, with embodied-knowledge technologies, such as Roundup Ready or Bt crop genetics, automated guidance, or on-the-go sensing, information can be purchased in the form of

an input, requiring minimal additional data or skills.

PA services with a strong understanding of precision technologies are needed to help farmers develop their own recommendations instead of supplying general answers, through on-farm field tests and comparisons. Technology can be accessed through INTA and the private sector, but it is key that universities assist farmers and agricultural businesses to understand the economics of information. Barriers to adoption are an opportunity for extension services to be more relevant. Farmers and agribusiness are learning to adopt the tools that provide more benefits.

REFERENCES:

Bongiovanni R., E.C. Mantovani, S. Best y A. Roel (eds.). 2006. “Agricultura de precisión: Integrando conocimientos para una agricultura moderna y sustentable” PROCISUR/IICA, Montevideo, UY. ISBN 92-9039-741-1, 244 pp. http://www.procisur.org.uy/data/documentos/135050.pdf

Bongiovanni, R., Lowenberg-DeBoer, J., 2006. Argentina. Chapter 21, pp. 615-633, in: Srinivasan, A. (Ed.). Handbook of Precision Agriculture. 684 pp. ISBN 978-1-56022-954-4 (1-56022-954-3 ). Doi:10.1300/5627_21. Food Products Press / Haworth Press, Inc. 10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904-1580. USA. https://www.haworthpress.com/store/PDFFiles/ForReps/Srinvasan-Handbook.pdf

Bongiovanni, R.G. (Ed.) 2007. Special issue: “Precision Agriculture in Latin America” Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (Elsevier B.V). ISSN 0168-1699. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2007.03.001. Volume 58, issue 1, August 2007.

Griffin, T.; R. Bongiovanni and J. Lowenberg-DeBoer. 2010. Worldwide Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technology: The 2010 Update. 10 pp. 10th International Conference on Precision Agriculture, Denver, Colorado, USA. July 18th to July 21st, 2010. http://www.icpaonline.org/

Country Report – Argentina …continued from page 6

A Note From the Past PresidentRaj Khosla, Founding President, ISPA

Greetings of the New Year 2013! Another year has passed us and as I look back and reflect, I realize that 2012 was a landmark year for our society for a number of reasons: (i) We successfully organized the 11th International Conference on Precision Agriculture in Indianapolis with delegates from over 40 countries and a record number of research papers from across the globe; (ii) we raised strong support from industry as reflected in sponsorships and sold-out exhibits at the 11th ICPA; (iii) the founding board completed the first two-year term of our society; (iv) we elected the new executive board by majority vote; and (v) we generated a record number of memberships and associated revenue. While, I take pride in listing these milestones, it is really “you” the members who made this all possible. Our strength lies in our diversity, with your new President-Elect, Dr. Ken Sudduth from the USA, current President Dr. John Stafford from the United Kingdom; Secretary from Canada, Treasurer from the USA and many dozen Country Representatives from across the planet. I can truly say that the future of our society is bright and is in good hands. I say so, because precision agriculture is part of the solution in addressing the global challenge of food security. In my current position at the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C., I had the privilege to attend the PCAST (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology) meetings. In December 2012, PCAST came out with the “Report to the President on Agricultural Preparedness and the Agricultural Research Enterprise”. The report refers to precision agriculture in many places and lists precision agriculture as part of the solution to addressing climate change, enhancing resource conservation, efficiency, and productivity. Therefore, as we embark upon this New Year, we must resolve to continue to work together with new enthusiasm, energy, and resolve as this is just the beginning for ISPA. We have long way to go and are well poised to contribute to the many global challenges of our times.

First scientific workshop on nutrient management by zones. National University of Río Cuarto.

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China established the country’s first Precision Agriculture Research Center in 1998, and the development of precision agriculture has experienced several stages since then, including initial technology introduction, digestion and absorption, research and development, technology and equipment application demonstration, and now is at the stage of product development and extension. Remote sensing and sensor technology for crop and soil data acquisition, geo-referenced field data collection, GIS-based field data management and decision making systems, auto-guidance systems, and variable rate control technology and equipment for chemical application are the main areas of precision agriculture development in China.

Sensor technology and data acquisition research and application

China has accumulated rich theoretical and practical experience in agriculture information acquisition technology. Universities and research institutes in China have developed several instruments in the past 10 years, including a portable soil nutrient tester, a soil moisture and conductivity tester based on the time-domain reflectometry (TDR) principle, and a soil pH tester based on an optical fiber sensor. These different kinds of

sensors and instruments have been used for crop disease damage identification, and for estimation of crop growth characteristics and physiological parameters. In addition, geo-referenced field data collection systems and remote sensing systems have been developed for different typical crop production regions. The GreenSeeker crop canopy reflectance sensor has been successfully used to develop sensor-based precision nitrogen management systems for winter wheat and rice. Satellite remote sensing has also been used for crop growth monitoring, guiding N application and yield and grain quality mapping.

Data management and decision making system for precision agriculture

Some large-scale farms located in the Heilongjiang and Xinjiang agricultural reclamation areas are beginning to adopt data management and decision making systems for precision agriculture. This kind of integrated system supports farmland information collection, data management, wireless monitoring of field data, and decision making for variable rate application.

Automatic guidance

Auto-guidance is one of the most widely used precision agriculture technologies in

China, mainly imported from the international market. In 2004, 852 Farm and Baoquanling Farm located in the Heilongjiang agricultural reclamation area started auto-guidance system testing and demonstration on tractors. Auto-steer and guidance technology can effectively improve efficiency, enhance field operation quality and reduce labor intensity. This technology is very suitable for ridging, planting, pesticide spraying and other field operations in the large scale farming of Northeast China. Most state farms in the Heilongjiang agricultural reclamation area have

adopted auto-guidance systems beginning in 2010. The domestic research institutions and universities have carried out research and development of GPS-assisted and auto-steer guidance systems for hydraulic steering tractors made in China, and now there are several systems available for testing and demonstration on large-scale farms.

Variable-rate control technology and equipment

China has conducted some preliminary exploratory research and development work in intelligent equipment for precision agriculture, and has made some strides in on-line measurement and automatic control for agricultural machinery, including seeding monitors, variable-rate fertilizer application control technology, and yield mapping systems. Different research institutes and universities have developed variable-rate fertilizer application systems for winter wheat, corn, soybean and other crops. Most of these systems are typical map-based application control systems. Some farmers in north China are beginning to use GPS guidance systems for field crop chemical application, which has greatly decreased the amount of chemical used by reducing application overlap. Furthermore, in-line sensors and automatic

Country Report – China Chungjiang Zhao, National Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture; Liping Chen, National Research Center of Intelligent Equipment for

Agriculture; Yuxin Miao, China Agricultural University; Zhijun Meng, National Research Center of Intelligent Equipment for Agriculture; Xiu Wang, National

Research Center of Intelligent Equipment for Agriculture

…continued on page 9

Field mapping for small scale farming on North China Plain.

Farm management and decision making system for Hongxing Farm, Heilongjiang province.

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The Brazilian Congress on Precision Agriculture (ConBAP) is a national event born from the efforts of the University of São Paulo and its Precision Agriculture Laboratory (LAP). Ever since the beginning in 2004, the event has been held every two years, between the International Conferences on Precision Agriculture. With the increasing demand and interest in Precision Agriculture in Brazil, the event had to be moved from the University and in 2010 the organization of the event was transferred to its current organizer, the National Society of Agricultural Engineering (SBEA).

In 2012, we held the 5th ConBAP and the attendees were mainly from Brazil and Latin America. The event was clearly a moment for technology diffusion and information exchange between researchers, professionals, farmers and the leading precision agriculture

companies. In this last edition we were proud to host several leading international researchers to present their work. Dr. Raj Khosla, from Colorado State University in the US, talked about the role of PA in overcoming the future challenges of food security and better management of water. Dr. Abdul M. Mouazen (Cranfield University, England) presented some of his innovative research on soil nutrient sensing and discussed the importance of data fusion for the future of PA. Dr. Rob Bramley (Commonwealth Scientific

and Industrial Research Organization, CSIRO, Australia) presented the current stage of PA in Australia. He also described some of his research in real-time sensing for crop quality and his concerns about spatially-distributed field experimentation to fine tune management in order to achieve production

efficiencies, food security and to reduce the risk of environmental impact by agriculture.

In essence, there was a clear evolution from previous ConBAP events. This time, regular grid soil sampling was criticized and it seems to not be enough anymore for users as we step into a new phase of PA where sampling is driven by management zones. Management zone delineation and plant canopy sensors to estimate crop yield and biomass were also addressed in many presentations.

The next ConBAP will happen in 2014 and we expect it to maintain its status as an important event for all the segments related to PA in Brazil and as chance for the attendees to keep up with leading technologies coming from the research community, equipment companies and farmers.

Country Report – China …continued from page 8

control technologies also are beginning to be applied by some farmers, and can greatly save chemicals compared with manually controlled systems. For orchard chemical application, spraying target recognition sensors have also been adopted by some farmers, and this kind of technology greatly reduces the chemical drift and total amount of chemical application.

Precision crop management for high yield and high resource use efficiency

China is facing one of the largest challenges of this century: how to produce enough food to feed the large population with limited resources. Current precision agriculture research focusing on precision nutrient management, precision irrigation, and precision plant protection can significantly increase resource use efficiency, but will have

limited impact on yield. Scientists in China are developing integrated precision crop management systems to increase both crop yield and resource use efficiency, and have made some progress.

In general, there has been a change of focus for agricultural production systems of China from simply seeking high yields to pursuing a combination of high yield, good quality, high resource use efficiency and environmental protection. At the same time, China has very complicated agriculture production systems with different farming scales and diverse management conditions, requiring different precision agriculture strategies, technologies and equipment. Even though there are some large farms in Xinjiang and Northeast China, most farmers have very small

fields (less than 1 ha), and they cannot afford expensive equipment. Multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary research teams and efficient precision agricultural service providers are needed to move precision agriculture from research to practical applications in China.

Auto-guidance for ridging in a large scale farm.

Brazilian Congress on Precision Agriculture J. P. Molin, Associate Professor, University of São Paulo – USP/ESALQ; M. Spekken, Graduate Student, University of São Paulo – USP/ESALQ

The ISPA Report

10 The International Society of Precision Agriculture

January 2013

GIS and Mapping Improves Marketing Opportunities for Farmers in Ghana

Twenty-eight year-old IT professional, Solomon Elorm Allavi, established and manages a start-up company, Syecomp Business Services, in Accra, Ghana. The company strives to implement ICT (information and communication technology) solutions to address the limited access to marketing outlets for smallholder farmers and others in the agricultural value chain. Syecomp utilizes GIS and GPS to provide an array of farmland surveying and mapping services.

GIS surveying and mapping help to establish the spatial locations and concentration of fruits and vegetable farms. The technology determines the supply base of producing firms and establishes a system for traceability and precision production for the farmers. This helps to address the problems of dispersion of farms and the lack of location-specific data for production planning, monitoring and targeting which result in an inability to forecast farm yields; inaccurate assessment of supply base; over-estimation of farm sizes; over-paying for labor and other services; and difficulties in resource allocation and targeting of small-scale producers for assistance and support.

Solomon uses the ESRI ArcGIS 9.3, GPS Utility and TrackMaker software for his farmland GPS waypoints. He has available a digitised base

map of Ghana (showing roads, topography, water bodies, etc.), two laser-jet printers, Garmin GPS receivers, two laptop computers and one desktop computer that propel the enterprise to meet the needs of its clients.

Solomon is one of the winners in the recent NEPAD-CTA essay contest. He is a member-entrepreneur of the Enablis Entrepreneurial Network (www.enablis.org) and IntEnt Ghana Foundation Business Incubator (http://intent-ghana.com/)

Prospect and Challenges of Precision Agriculture in Cocoa Production

Mr. Martin Bosompem is a Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Cape Coast, Ghana and Ghana Country Representative to ISPA. He is also a Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension working on his thesis entitled “Prospect and Challenges of Precision Agriculture in Cocoa Production in Ghana”.

The study will assess the perceptions, awareness level, and knowledge level of stakeholders (scientists, farmers, Agricultural Extension Agents, Ministry of Food Agriculture) regarding the challenges, potentials, and opportunities available to develop precision agriculture (PA) in Ghana, especially in the cocoa industry. This is seen as a way of improving the productivity of farmers in Ghana and also a way to mitigate some of the effects of climate change in cocoa production. Since PA technologies are new and rarely applied to cocoa production in Ghana, the research will serve as a basis for future development of tools and methodologies for the successful implementation of PA technologies in cocoa. Also, information about t he awareness and knowledge level of scientists and other experts will help indicate their needs for training to assist in their quest to develop PA technologies. Moreover, it is expected that PA technologies for other relevant crops in Ghana can use the PA technologies developed in cocoa as a model. The study will also add to the body of knowledge regarding

development and implementation of PA technologies, especially for the cocoa industry in Ghana.

First Workshop on Precision Agriculture in Ghana

A one-day workshop on Precision Agriculture was held at the University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa. The workshop was organized by the Department of Soil Science, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast in collaboration with resource persons from the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI). Held on 20 March 2012, the theme of the workshop was “Precision Agriculture: Concepts, Tools and Practice”.

Resource persons from IPNI (from left Dr. Shamie Zingore and Dr. Steve Philips) with Prof. F.N.A Odoi, Vice-Dean, School of Agriculture and the late Dr. A. E. Asmah (far right) Head of the Soil Science Department (source: Ebo Turkson- Computer Centre --University of Cape Coast, March, 2012)

Resource persons from the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), Dr. Steve Phillips (Director, Southeast North America) and Dr. Shamie Zingore (Director, Sub-Saharan Africa) made presentations on the topics “Principles of Precision Agriculture” and “Precision Agriculture Adoption and Implementation in Developed Countries”, respectively. Mr. Akwesi Nyantekyi Wireko (Director, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, KEEA District, Central Region) also made a presentation on the topic “The Potential and Realties of Agriculture in Ghana - The Relevance of Precision Agriculture.”

Also at the program were Prof F.N.A Odoi, Vice-Dean, School of Agriculture (Chairman), the late Dr. A.E Asmah, Head of Soil Science Department, and many other lecturers and students from the School of Agriculture and the Department of Geography and Regional Planning. The workshop concluded that there was a need to integrate PA technologies into the curricula of Agriculture in the Universities and to develop PA tools and technologies that take into consideration the climatic conditions of Africa.

Country Report – Ghana Martin Bosompem, Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, School of Agriculture, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Mr. Solomon Elorm Allavi (source: http://ictupdate.cta.int.,April 2012)

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January 2013

Scenes from the 11th International Conference on Precision Agriculture

Many of the 449 ICPA registrants listen to Newell Kitchen’s keynote address, “From Poking Holes to Precision Sensing: Options Growing for Nutrient Management”.

David Mulla accepts the Pierre C. Robert Precision Agriculture Award in the Senior Scientist category. Yuxin Miao won the Young Scientist award and nine Outstanding Graduate Student Awards were also presented.

The technical program featured 161 speakers and 70 posters.

The 11th ICPA was truly an international event. Participants, shown here at the opening session, came from at least 35 countries.

The sold-out exhibit hall was a popular place for interaction with vendors and other participants. A strong industry presence included 33 exhibitors.

Incoming ISPA President John Stafford accepts the gavel from outgoing President Raj Khosla. Other 2012-2014 ISPA officers are President-elect Ken Sudduth, Secretary Nicolas Tremblay, and Treasurer Tyrell Fickenscher.

Sponsors of the 11th ICPA were Springer, John Deere, Force-A (pictured), AMMO Ag, Raven, Geosys, and Alabama Precision Ag Extension.