Agriculture 4.0 — an example of development in Ukraine

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Some people still associate agricultural production in Ukraine with old Soviet-era machinery, inefficient management, or technologies from the last century. In fact, for years now, farmers have been using robotic equipment, the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSN) or cyber-physical systems, which have become key elements of modern agribusiness. The depth and breadth of the penetration of modern technologies in Ukrainian agribusiness can be seen in the statistical infographic guide Agribusiness of Ukraine. The guide was created by the experts of Latifundist Media agro media holding and Top Lead visual communications agency.

The rise of precision farming technologies

The 1990s were marked by the rise of precision agriculture in the world. This period was characterised by the use of autopilots on agricultural machinery, yield monitoring, differentiated fertilisation and data-driven management. Farmers began to use technology to manage their land more efficiently.

In the early 2010s, agriculture entered the era of digital farming. This period was characterised by the introduction of farm management systems (FMS), real-time data analysis, the development of value-added services and optimised resource use. Digital technologies allowed farmers to make more informed decisions, increasing the efficiency and sustainability of production.

The current stage, which began around 2020, is marked by the integration of technologies. Artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs), and cyber-physical systems have become key elements of modern agribusiness. Big data analytics and decision support systems help farmers optimise all aspects of agricultural production.

It is important to note that Ukrainian agribusiness is going through a difficult time amid the war. Many small farmers are not developing, but are going bankrupt or transferring their land to others for cultivation. Some large agricultural companies have frozen their machinery and technological development programmes due to financial constraints. Due to military operations, restrictions on the use of drones, and supply issues, technological progress has slowed down significantly. The following statistics reflect the achievements of Ukraine's agricultural sector, which is still trying to optimise processes in the face of war. However, the situation differs significantly between regions of the country and individual farms.

What technologies are used by Ukrainian agrarians?

According to a survey of 50 Ukrainian agricultural enterprises of various sizes (from micro, small and medium-sized to large agricultural holdings), there are several main areas of technology use in the Ukrainian agricultural sector.

In the area of agricultural machinery control, the most popular is the use of autopilots. These are systems that allow a tractor or combine to follow a given route without constant operator intervention, which significantly improves the accuracy of field processing and reduces overlapping, repeated processing of one area by 5-10%.According to the survey, they are used by 80% of the surveyed enterprises.

Technology use in agriculture

Monitoring sensors have also become widespread: fuel level trackers are used by 70% of farms and trackers for the location and current state of machinery by 70%.

The use of navigation lines and field dynamics also has a high adoption rate of 60%. With the help of GPS technology, farmers create virtual routes on the field that help their machinery move in parallel passes with a minimum deviation of a few centimetres or even millimetres.

Automatic sprayers (34% of farms) and RTK (Real Time Kinematic) technology for precise positioning (52% of farms) are slightly less common. RTK is a high-precision positioning system with an accuracy of up to 2 centimetres, which works through basic GPS stations and allows for the most precise operations, such as sowing, fertilising or inter-row cultivation. The field dynamics reflects changes in soil and crop conditions over time, allowing you to make quick decisions about cultivation.

Application of AI in the fields

Artificial intelligence (AI) is actively penetrating the Ukrainian agricultural sector, becoming a powerful tool for analytics and decision-making based on large data sets. Among the most common applications of AI technologies is crop forecasting, which is used by 22% of agricultural enterprises - these systems analyse historical data, current crop conditions, weather conditions and other factors to accurately predict future yields.

The same level of adoption (22%) is seen in the use of artificial intelligence to identify and predict threats to crops - algorithms that detect potential problems (diseases, pests, weeds) at an early stage and suggest optimal protection strategies.

AI-based crop development forecasting systems have also become widespread, with 18% of surveyed farms using them to model plant growth and predict the dates of critical development phases.

In precision farming, 12% of farmers trust AI to plan fertiliser rates, when algorithms based on soil sample analysis, yield maps and other parameters generate recommendations on optimal doses of nutrients.

Innovative computer vision systems are used by 10% of respondents to assess the level of maturity and detect plant diseases - these technologies analyse crop photos and identify problems before they become visible to the human eye. With a similar frequency (10%), artificial intelligence is used in planning the optimal selection of varieties and hybrids - when analytical systems process data on the characteristics of different varieties, growing conditions and historical performance to recommend the most suitable options for specific fields. The least common but potentially profitable use of AI is for planning harvest logistics (5%).

NDVI and field meteorological stations

In the field of high-tech monitoring and data analysis, the absolute leader is the use of NDVI (Normalised Difference Vegetation Index), a normalised differential vegetation index calculated based on the reflection of red and infrared light by plants. This analysis of satellite imagery to determine vegetation and plant development indexes are used by 56% of respondents, allowing them to identify problem areas of the field, predict yields and make decisions on differentiated fertiliser or plant protection products. In addition, in-house field weather stations, autonomous devices that measure key weather parameters in real time and help predict the risks of diseases and pests, play a significant role in modern agribusiness. The use of such weather stations is widespread among 32% of surveyed enterprises, indicating a growing need for accurate local weather data to optimise agronomic practices.

Precision farming during sowing

In the precision sowing process, the use of automatic shutdown systems for overlapping seeder sections, a technology that prevents double sowing of seeds in areas that have already been sown, has become a leader. This solution is used by 65% of agricultural enterprises, which significantly saves seed and prevents thickening of crops. The use of variable seeding rates, a method where the number of seeds per hectare automatically changes depending on the potential of the farmland, soil characteristics or terrain, has also become widespread. This technology is used by 48% of respondents, thus optimising seed placement and increasing yields.

Seeding depth control sensors remain less widespread, as they are highly accurate systems that ensure uniform seed placement at a given depth regardless of the terrain and soil density. They are used by only 16% of respondents, which indicates the potential for further introduction of this advanced technology.

Modern technologies for harvesting

During harvesting, precision farming technologies significantly optimise the operation of combines, among which the most common are bunker sensors - electronic systems that constantly measure the amount and moisture content of the harvested grain in the combine's bunker. Such devices are used by 45% of enterprises, allowing them to control the quality of harvesting and plan grain logistics in real time. Yield mapping systems, technologies that automatically create detailed maps of yield distribution as the combine moves across the field, recording the productivity of each plot with reference to GPS coordinates, have reached almost the same level of adoption. Yield maps in the combine are used by 42% of agricultural enterprises, providing valuable information for further analysis of field productivity, identification of problem areas and differentiated fertilisation in the next season.

Fertilisation and protection measures

When applying fertilisers, modern Ukrainian farmers are actively implementing variable rate technology, a method where special machines automatically adjust the amount of fertiliser to the needs of each specific area of the field based on pre-drawn task maps. This technology is used by 40% of companies, which allows them to optimise fertiliser costs and increase the efficiency of their use.

Equally important is the automatic shutdown of overlapping sections during fertilisation, a system that prevents re-application of fertiliser to areas that have already been treated. This solution is used by 36% of respondents, which helps to avoid cost overruns and prevent damage from over-application.In crop protection, the most common technology used was sprayer boom control with partial section shutdown, a system that automatically shuts off the supply of spray solution to certain sections of the boom when passing over already treated areas. Almost 78% of the surveyed companies use the technology with sectional sprayer shutdown, which significantly reduces the overuse of plant protection products (PPPs) and prevents phytotoxicity to plants. Half of the farms have implemented an even more precise technology - individual nozzle shutdown, where each sprayer operates as an independent unit and can be switched off exactly at the point of overlap. This system ensures maximum product savings and uniformity of treatment.

A real breakthrough in the crop protection industry was the use of drones for plant protection products, which allow us to apply them in hard-to-reach places and on waterlogged soils without compacting the soil with the wheels of machinery. This innovative technology is already being used by 59% of respondents, which indicates its high efficiency and potential in modern agricultural production.

The analysis of data from a survey of 50 Ukrainian agricultural enterprises demonstrates significant progress in the implementation of digital technologies and innovations in the agricultural sector. The key observation is the high level of digital technology use in innovative companies in Ukraine, which reaches 80%. It demonstrates the readiness of Ukrainian agribusiness to implement modern solutions to improve efficiency. In 2021-2023, agrodrones covered 3.1 million hectares of agricultural land, which confirms the large-scale implementation of advanced technologies in practice.Ukraine's AgTech sector includes approximately 70 startups working in various areas: land bank management, precision farming, drone use, and other innovative solutions. In recent years, the number of startups and investments has grown significantly, demonstrating the dynamic development of the industry even in the difficult conditions of war.

Priority is given to the development of innovations because AgTech is one of the key sectors regarding The Global Innovation Vision of Ukraine 2030. This highlights the strategic importance of agricultural digitalisation for the country's economic development and competitiveness in the global market.