Identification of the Type of Agriculture Suited for Application of Wireless Sensor Networks

The world’s population is expected to double by 2050; world food supply is unlikely to double by doubling the area under cultivation or by doubling the availability of water. There are other challenges too, such as decline in the number of farms and a decline in the number of agriculture workforce. Climate change is expected to further aggravate the existing situation. Therefore, for the humanity to survive agriculture has to become smart – one way is by integrating Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) in agriculture. In this paper, we will present the application of WSN in agriculture and discuss different types of sensors, different types of WSN and their application in 13 different types of traditional agriculture. We identify the type of agriculture most suited for WSN in terms of applications. We will also review some recent applications of WSN in agriculture; identify challenges and present possible future directions.