The Smart Farming Era Begins in İzmir

Smart Farming Era Begins in Izmir Izmir Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Directorate is signing on to a project that will be implemented for the first time in Turkey. Through the project launch, harmful pest populations in agricultural fields will be sent instantly to technical staff by monitoring stations installed in fruit orchards. Speaking to technical staff at the project launch, Izmir Provincial Agriculture and Forestry Director Mustafa Özen said: "We are implementing a first in Turkey. This project is actually a beginning. The increased use of technology in agriculture and the implementation of smart farming technologies is now unavoidable. We hope that this project, which starts in Izmir where model projects have been implemented in many sectors, will spread first throughout Izmir and then across our country. The fact that the equipment and software we will use in this project have been developed entirely by our domestic and national programmers is also a separate source of pride for us." Through the project, pest populations that cause damage in agricultural fields will be sent instantly to technical staff by monitoring stations installed in fruit orchards.

Harmful Pests Will Now Be Detected and Counted by Machines

Providing details about the project, Plant Production and Plant Health Section Director Engin Altunoğlu said: "To detect diseases and pests in agricultural areas, technical staff are continuously deployed in the field in 30 districts and conduct technical analyses related to determining the timing of control measures. This work, which has been ongoing for years, will now be carried out more effectively, quickly and accurately through this project, and expenses such as personnel, labor, vehicles and fuel will be significantly reduced. Through the project, technical staff will be able to see the main pest density and monitoring at desired intervals instantly on a mobile application and web-based platform loaded on their mobile phones without having to go to the field. This way, the economic damage threshold process will be monitored in real time, ensuring that control measures are carried out in a timely manner."

Scope to Expand

Altunoğlu stated that the project will initially be carried out in areas implementing "Good Agricultural Practices," and added: "Especially during the pandemic, by entering the digitalization process, it will be possible for staff to obtain information about pest density from home or office without going to the field, and when necessary, if pests reach the economic threshold, to initiate the control announcement process from home or office through our ministry's correspondence system." Altunoğlu said that the project currently covers the pests of "Mediterranean fruit fly" in mandarins, "grape berry moth" in grapes, "olive fruit fly" and "olive moth" in olives, and "quince seed moth" in quinces, and stated that the scope will expand over time along with the application area.

Financed by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry

Mert Demirel, an official from the technology company working on the project, provided information to participants about the software created specifically for Izmir Agriculture Provincial Directorate and how the system operates. The project aims to introduce producers implementing "Good Agricultural Practices" to digital innovations and promote digitalization in agriculture through public means. The project, which is entirely financed by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, will have its data lines covered by the Izmir Chamber of Agriculture under the protocol signed.