Agriculture is undergoing a fundamental shift. As climate pressures mount, supply chains grow more complex, and skilled labour becomes harder to find, farmers are turning to data and automation to stay resilient.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is helping farms adapt. By connecting sensors, equipment and platforms across fields, livestock and infrastructure, it’s enabling more precise, efficient and sustainable ways of working.
IoT in agriculture is already delivering value, from higher yields to lower input costs. This article explores the key use cases, measurable benefits and practical barriers, and explains how Three Group Solutions supports real-world IoT deployment at scale.
What is agricultural IoT?
IoT in agriculture refers to the use of connected devices, sensors and platforms to monitor and manage farming operations. These technologies collect real-time data on soil, crops, livestock and equipment, and can automate tasks based on that data.
Agricultural IoT systems typically include three core components:
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Sensors and devices, such as soil moisture probes, drones, GPS trackers and environmental monitors
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Connectivity infrastructure, including cellular, LPWAN and satellite networks to transmit data from the field
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Data platforms, which analyse the information and provide insights to support better decisions
Together, these tools help farmers improve yields, reduce resource use, and run more efficient, resilient operations.
Learn more about smart agriculture and data-driven solutions for farming.
Why agriculture needs IoT now
The pressures facing modern agriculture are intensifying, and traditional methods can’t keep pace. IoT addresses some of the sector’s biggest challenges:
Climate volatility and resource scarcity
Weather patterns have become increasingly unpredictable due to climate change. Dry spells, heatwaves and storms disrupt planting and harvesting cycles, as well as ensuring the crops survive severe storms and low water supplies during prolonged dry spells.
Studies have shown that heatwaves and drought now cause substantially greater damage to European crops than in previous decades, with production losses more than tripling over the past 50 years.
IoT systems help address these challenges by providing precise, real-time insights, enabling resources such as water to be applied only where and when they are needed.
Global food demand and supply chain pressure
The global population is expected to exceed 9.8 billion by 2050, placing sustained pressure on food production and supply chains. Increasing output in a sustainable way is a growing challenge, particularly as land, water and energy resources become more constrained.
IoT-enabled monitoring and automation help address this by improving visibility across production and distribution, supporting higher yields, reducing waste, and strengthening the resilience of food supply chains overall.
Labour shortages and rising costs
Agriculture is increasingly affected by workforce shortages as experienced workers retire and others move to urban areas in search of alternative employment. These shortages have led to production delays and financial pressure, while rising costs across fuel, fertiliser, machinery and everyday living continue to squeeze margins.
Since late 2021, the number of workers aged 55 and over entering early retirement or voluntary redundancy has doubled, further reducing the availability of skilled labour across agri-food roles.
IoT helps mitigate these challenges by automating routine tasks, reducing the need for manual monitoring, and enabling remote management with fewer on-site staff.
Practical applications of IoT in agriculture
IoT has already been embedded across many areas of the agricultural industry for more precise control, automation and visibility across all operations.
Precision farming – soil moisture, crop health, yield optimisation
One of the most well-established applications of IoT in agriculture is precision farming. This uses in-field sensors, satellite data and connected machinery to monitor soil conditions, crop health and growth patterns in near real time. Rather than treating an entire field as uniform, farmers can identify variations in moisture, nutrient levels or stress across different zones.
This allows planting, irrigation and fertiliser use to be adjusted at a much more granular level. The result is not just higher yields, but more consistent outcomes and reduced waste of water, chemicals and energy.
<H3> Livestock tracking and health monitoring
Connected collars, ear tags and biometric sensors enable continuous monitoring of livestock location, movement and health indicators such as activity levels, feeding behaviour and body temperature.
With this data, farmers can detect early signs of illness, monitor feeding behaviour and improve breeding management. This reduces losses, improves animal welfare, and lowers the need for farmers to carry out manual checks across large herds and larger farm lands.
Automated irrigation and greenhouse control
IoT-enabled irrigation systems combine soil sensors with weather data to apply water only when and where it is needed. This is particularly valuable in regions facing water scarcity or unpredictable rainfall.
In controlled environments such as greenhouses, connected systems regulate temperature, humidity, lighting and CO₂ levels automatically. This creates stable growing conditions, improves crop quality, and reduces energy and water use compared to manual control.
Supply chain traceability from farm to fork
IoT extends beyond the farm gate into storage, transport and distribution. Sensors, RFID tags and GPS tracking provide visibility into where produce is, how it is handled, and under what conditions it is stored.
This improves food safety, reduces spoilage during transit, and supports compliance with traceability and quality standards. For producers, it also makes it easier to identify bottlenecks or failures within the supply chain.
Pest control
Sensor networks and camera-based systems can detect changes in crop conditions or pest activity earlier than traditional inspection methods. Instead of reacting once damage is visible, farmers can identify high-risk areas and intervene quickly.
This supports more targeted responses, reducing the scale of infestations and limiting the need for blanket chemical treatments.
Smart fertiliser and pesticide application
Connected machinery uses sensor and mapping data to apply fertilisers and pesticides at variable rates across a field. This ensures inputs are used only where they deliver value, rather than applied evenly regardless of need.
The outcome is lower chemical use, reduced costs, and less environmental impact, while maintaining crop health and yield.
Grain storage and silo monitoring
IoT sensors in silos and storage facilities monitor temperature, humidity and gas levels continuously. This helps prevent spoilage, mould growth and pest infestations after harvest.
By detecting issues early, operators can take corrective action before large volumes of stored grain are lost, protecting both yield and revenue.
Benefits of IoT in agriculture
IoT delivers practical, measurable benefits across modern agricultural operations by improving efficiency, reducing waste and supporting more informed decision-making.
Improved cost efficiency and productivity
One of the most immediate benefits of IoT adoption is increased operational efficiency. Farms using connected sensors, drones and data analysis tools are better able to monitor conditions, respond to changes quickly and optimise inputs. In many cases, this has translated into higher yields compared to traditional, less data-driven approaches.
Farms that have introduced to use of IoT technology, such as drones, sensors and analytical tools, have seen crop yields increase by 20% when compared to traditional farming methods.
Lower resource use and operating costs
Automation plays a key role in reducing costs. Smart irrigation systems, for example, apply water only when conditions require it, helping to cut unnecessary usage and manage water more sustainably. Similar efficiencies can be achieved across fertiliser, energy and labour-intensive processes.
Earlier intervention and reduced risk
Continuous monitoring allows farmers to identify potential issues such as drought stress, disease or equipment failure earlier than manual inspections would allow. Early warnings make it possible to intervene before problems escalate into significant crop losses or supply chain disruption.
Stronger traceability and compliance
IoT-enabled traceability systems provide visibility beyond the farm itself, helping producers track environmental conditions, handling and movement throughout the supply chain. This supports food safety, improves transparency, and makes it easier to demonstrate compliance with regulatory and sustainability requirements.
Barriers to adoption, and how to overcome them
Despite its advantages, adopting IoT into the agricultural industry still faces some significant barriers, such as connectivity in rural areas, cost and scalability concerns and data security concerns.
Connectivity in rural areas
Many farms are based in locations where broadband or mobile coverage is unreliable. That makes it difficult to rely on IoT systems designed around constant, high-speed connectivity. In practice, long-range and low-power connectivity options, such as satellite or LPWAN, are often a better match for rural environments, providing more consistent coverage across large areas of land.
Cost and the fear of over-investing
Upfront costs can feel high, particularly for smaller farms. Sensors, platforms and ongoing subscriptions add up quickly if everything is deployed at once. A more realistic approach is to start small, focus on the areas where better data will make an immediate difference, and build from there as value becomes clearer.
Data security and ownership
As farms collect more operational data, questions around security and control naturally follow. Farmers need confidence that their data is protected and that ownership is clear. Using platforms with strong security built in, rather than added later, helps avoid problems down the line and keeps control where it belongs.
How Three Group Solutions can help
Three Group Solutions works with organisations to design and run IoT systems end to end, taking care of the parts that often slow adoption down.
That starts with connectivity that works in real-world conditions, rather than assuming reliable broadband is available. From there, we support device onboarding, data management and platform integration, helping farms move from isolated pilots to systems that are reliable at scale.
The focus is on making IoT practical, manageable and fit for long-term operation, not just technically possible.
Explore our smart agriculture solutions or speak to one of our specialists to start planning your next step.
