Computational Intelligence and Internet of Things in the Agriculture Sector: An Introduction

As the world embraces new technologies, the focus on innovation extends even to agriculture. Extensive research has been conducted in this field, defining agriculture as encompassing all the techniques and practices involved in cultivating soil. It includes various activities in natural environments that enable the growth and harvesting of living organisms such as plants, animals, fungi, or microbes beneficial to humans. The upcoming wave of intelligent computing will heavily rely on the Internet of Things (IoT), a pivotal force in the evolution of traditional technology towards next-generation computing. IoT holds a significant position in global research, particularly in the realm of modern wireless communications. It signifies the exchange of information and data from real-world devices to the Internet network. When applied to agriculture, IoT leads to what is known as smart agriculture, aimed at optimizing crops through IoT-based smart sensors for real-time monitoring of factors like temperature and humidity, utilizing microcontroller technology. This chapter provides an overview of the research trends, IoT concepts, fundamental components, main challenges, and IoT applications. Additionally, it explores the Internet of Agricultural Things (IoAT) and the role of computational intelligence in advancing agriculture.