The potential and prospects for the implementation of precision farming for soybean production in Indonesia

Precision farming is a modern agricultural technology using various ITs. This technology is considered very potential to be applied for developing soybean production in Indonesia. This is because with the use of conventional technology it is difficult to achieve maximal productivity as expected, especially with the limited facilities and infrastructure. Based on research results, precision farming is able to increase productivity and farming efficiency, reduce negative impacts on the environment and increase farmer’s income so that it can support sustainable farming management. Precision farming is very prospective to be developed in Indonesia to increase soybean productivity and production to support the achievement of soybean self-sufficiency. Support for the implementation of precision farming has been provided by the government, the private sector, and also farmers. The success of implementation of precision farming is greatly influenced by the development of IT technology, especially those related to various aspects of soybean cultivation.


Introduction
Agricultural technology continues to develop, including precision crop management technology (precision farming).Technology in precision farming is a modern technology that has the potential to increase agricultural productivity, farming efficiency, and farmers' income in a sustainable manner [1][2][3][4].To support this, it is necessary to implement a sustainable agricultural system.According to Lija [5], precision farming first appeared in 1980 in United State.After that in few years, it increases its extension globally and gets positive responses from the farmers.The application of precision farming in the development of soybean production in Indonesia seemed necessary (or at least needs to be initiated) on the basis of several considerations, namely: (a) agricultural production resources (water, soil, fertilizer, humans, etc.) have been reduced, both in terms of quantity and quality, (b) maximization and high quality agricultural products needs to be carried out, and (c) the variability of land resources and agricultural productivity in Indonesia is quite high.
Soybean productivity in Indonesia in 2020 is still low (around 15.69 t/ha) with a production of 632.3 thousand tons, whereas the need for consumption reaches around 3.2 million tons [6].In 2030, based on an estimated consumption rate of 10.17 kg/capita/year [7] and an estimated population of 294.11 million people [8], the domestic demand for soybeans is estimated at around 3 million tons.The low production of soybeans is due to limited land for soybean farming, which can be seen from the low achievement of harvested area or planting area, almost stagnant increase in productivity, the application of recommended cultivation technology is not optimal, the availability of seeds that meet the 'six right' requirements often experience obstacles, the price of soybeans produced by farmers some time ago was not able to encourage farmers' enthusiasm to cultivate soybeans.The application of 'Precision farming' for soybean production in Indonesia is raised in this paper considering that 'precision farming' aims to: (a) increase production, (b) make the use of external inputs more efficient, especially chemical production facilities, (c) use IT-based technology, (d) efficient use of manpower, and (e) maintain environmental sustainability [9].
The aim of this article is to convey the potential and prospects for implementing precision farming for the development of soybean production in Indonesia.This is because soybean production in Indonesia must be increased to meet self-sufficiency.

Basic concept of precision farming and its advantages
Agriculture is basically not just a farming activity but is part of an industrial system characterized by the transformation of raw materials into agricultural products that are ready to be utilized and have added value, both from an economic, social and environmental perspective.This new agricultural system is known as modern agriculture [10].Furthermore, the development of modern agriculture in the industrial era 4.0 is characterized by a change in the mindset of using biological and non-biological resources that are appropriate to needs.The accuracy of the use of resources in agricultural production systems (farming) is what is called precision agriculture or precision farming.
Precision farming is a farming management concept based on a systems approach, as presented in Figure 1, with one of the end goal is a sustainable agricultural system or SAS [11].Precision farming is also defined as a farming management concept based on observation and measurement of response variability, both inside and outside the crop [12]; meanwhile according to [13], precision farming is defined as a series of strategies and the use of tools that enable farmers to be optimistic and able to increase productivity and land quality in the location where precision farming is applied.Implementation of precision farming requires collection of data and information to make decisions so that production can be increased, and then what corrections/improvements must be made to the area to achieve the desired goals.It was also explained that the ultimate goal of precision farming is to produce in greater quantities with fewer resources, while maintaining and even raising product quality standards.
According to [14], starting in 2000 the world of agriculture entered the era of "smart farming" and was in the agricultural system 4.0.[5] states that precision farming or precision agriculture is the beginning of the 4.0 agricultural system.Therefore, precise methods in farming are needed to increase resource efficiency while still obtaining high productivity.It was also explained that precision farming is a farming management concept (agriculture) based on calculations, observations, and reactions to changes, both inside and outside the land related to crop production.The purpose of precision farming is to be able to produce as many products/plant yields as possible in a shorter time and at a lower cost.For this reason, modern technology must be used in order to be able to optimize all the variables measured in farming.These advanced technologies include: satellite, remote sensing, crop-monitoring drone, GIS software in soil mapping, and soil map containing a quite big data which is recorded by a long asteroid.[15] defined precision farming simply as a way to apply the right treatment in the field at the right location and time.[9] states that precision farming is basically the same with precision agriculture.

Figure 1. The development of agriculture and the status of precision farmingtoward Sustainable
Agriculture System [11] with slight modification In general, significant components of precision farming are [10,16,17]: (1) GPS system.This equipment is able to determine/indicate the exact location and facilitate work related to land with high accuracy, (2) Sensor technology.This technology can be combined with mapping of other variables for appropriate farming management, such as cultivation, planting seeds, fertilizing, application of herbicides and pesticides, and harvesting, (3) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).Advances in precision farming have coincided with the rapid development and improvement of GNSS accuracy since 1999, (4) Variable Rate Technology (VRT).The use of VRT allows accuracy in terms of planting seeds, accuracy and speed in fertilizer application (fertilization dose), efficiency in the use of herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.The result is reduced farming costs and negative impact on the environment, (5) Digital technology.This includes the use of the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robot technology, and big data, contributing to making processes more efficient and enabling creations and services, (6) Farmers and their perceptions.This component is very important for success in the modern agricultural industry through the application of precision farming.
[5] showed the essential advantages of precision farming technology, namely : (1) increases the productivity of farming and reduces soil degradation and the result ensures agricultural development, (2) reduces the extra use of chemicals, (3) the characteristics of soil can be mapped with the use of GPS system, (4) improve the quality of agricultural practice with the massive information of technology and reduce the cost of crop productivity, (5) reduce the risk of environmental pollution and groundwater pollution rate, and (6) ensures the better opportunities in management and lowers the wastage of resources.Meanwhile, according to [13], precision farming is an increasingly urgent application of agricultural cultivation techniques due to the increasing demand for food.In general, the positive benefits of implementation of precision farming are: (1) for farming enterprises, it can optimize efforts and resources, reduce consumption and waste, and increase land productivity.The work also becomes more profitable for farmers and contractors as the processes are managed more quickly and effectively leading to a drop in hourly costs.They boost performance while reducing human resource fatigue, and (2) for the environment, given that there is a reduction in waste of fertilizers and herbicides, emissions and soil compaction, it reduces negative environmental impacts.

The potential of precision farming implementation for soybean production
For soybean, high productivity gains in a sustainable manner are highly expected.This is because until now to achieve high productivity on an average national basis is almost synonymous with the use of production inputs (eg.fertilizers and pesticides) in large quantities, so that in the long term it can damage the environment.As for other commodities besides soybeans, the application of precision farming is considered very helpful in various aspects of soil and plant management.In oil palm, for example, precision farming is reported to be very useful, for example in: (a) mapping the planting area more quickly and precisely, (b) planning plant replanting, (c) monitoring the status and development of plants in certain area of plantation, (d) knowing leaf chlorophyll content, (e) detecting pest and disease attacks precisely, (f) detecting the level of soil fertility and determining the dose of fertilization, and (g) estimating crop production or yield [18].
In general, the application of precision farming technology for soybean cultivation has not been carried out, although a lot of research related to this subject has been carried out for certain aspects of several commodities (as shown in literatures in Table 1).It is believed that a similar technology with certain modifications in accordance with the characteristics of soybean crops can also be applied.These various research results also provide information as well as inspiration regarding the potential to support the application of precision farming in the context of developing soybeans in Indonesia.Support and facilitation from the government to further encourage all stakeholders engaged in the agricultural industry to contribute optimally for implementing precision farming for the development of soybeans in Indonesia are needed.By considering the implementation of precision farming for soybean and other commodities in various countries, it is no exaggeration to say that the potential for implementing precision farming for soybean development in Indonesia is quite big.It would be better and more comprehensive if research was carried out by combining several aspects of cultivation at once in one IT application and to be continued with extensive field validation.

Tabel 1. List of references concerning research and the implementation of precision farming on soybean and other crops based on several aspects
No.

The prospect of implementation of precision farming for soybean production in Indonesia
In the future, it will be almost impossible to manage large areas of land for agricultural businesses by relying solely on conventional methods by expecting high agricultural productivity.Management of agriculture in a precision farming is needed so that productivity targets can be achieved and economically profitable [49,50,51].Good prospects for the future regarding the implementation of precision farming have also been conveyed [13,52], that the recent development of modern technology for IT-based agriculture (for example the use of IoT, Robotics, big data, VRT, etc.) able to collect large amounts of data related to land suitability, soil fertility and recommendations for fertilizer doses, irrigation, pest and disease control, as well as more precise and accurate predictions of crop yields.This causes an increase in yield, a reduction in the number of production facilities and farming costs [53,54].By knowing the positive benefits of implementing precision farming, farmers' interest in implementing precision farming in Indonesia become higher because it promises to increase agricultural productivity and farming profits.The prospect of implementing precision farming in Indonesia can also be seen from the explicit statement in the 2020-2024 Nasional Long Term Development Plan/'RPJMN' [55] that the application of precision farming is one of the ICT infrastructure strategic projects related to digital transformation in the industrial sector and agricultural development.Furthermore, according to [56], a readiness in understanding farmers regarding the implementation of precision farming in Indonesia is very much needed.For this, assistance by extension workers in field learning related to precision farming from upstream to downstream is very crucial.It was also conveyed that the Government, in this case the Ministry of Agriculture, really hopes that the application of precision farming in the management of agriculture in Indonesia, including for soybean commodities, will become a driving force in increasing food production, including for soybean commodity.This is because it is believed that with precision farming or precision agriculture, it is not only the expected increase in productivity and production, but also savings in the use of farming inputs facilities (especially chemicals), savings in farming costs, savings in time/duration of work and labour, increasing farming efficiency, as well as minimizing negative impacts on the environment, as has been applied to soybean cultivation abroad [31,57].The end target precision farming implementation is increasing the income and welfare of farmers as well as the fulfillment of food supply for Indonesian people now and the future.
The great prospects for implementing precision farming in Indonesia are also supported by the enthusiasm of the members of KTNA (Group or Association of Indonesian Farmers) in their readiness regarding the application of precision farming in agricultural management, including for soybeans [4,58], The training on a Technical Guidance on the application of a precision farming model in Jember [59] and also in South Sulawesi especially for soybean [60] are a driving force as well as evidence of the great prospects for implementing precision farming to increase soybean production in Indonesia.Furthermore, success in implementing precision farming depends on three components, namely: (a) government, academics, and agricultural companies, (b) precision farming applications, and (c) farmers and land cultivators [3,56].Millennial farmers are expected to have a new mindset towards the dynamics of agricultural development for the future, as well as being the main mover in the field for implementing precision agriculture in Indonesia [61,62].In addition, millennial extension workers play a very important role in guiding farmers in the field in the application of modern IT-based agricultural technology [63,64,65].
The Indonesian government has and continues to encourage increased agricultural productivity (including for soybeans) through the application of modern technology based on the Internet of Things (IoT), GIS, big data, VRT, GNNS, etc. [56].This is supported by the statement that the implementation of precision farming or precision agriculture will be able to encourage increased productivity and production as well as sustainability [66,67,68].In addition, the great prospects for implementing precision farming in agricultural development in Indonesia, including for soybean farming, are explicitly stated in the direction of agricultural development policies and strategies regarding the need to apply agricultural technology that is capable of providing precision treatment (precision farming) along the production chain and integrated from upstream to downstream [1].Another thing that supports the application of precision farming in Indonesia is that the Ministry of Agriculture has started technical guidance on the model for implementing precision farming in 2022 in order to boost local soybean production [60], and also the initiation of the implementation of precision farming on several areas of Indonesia [69,70,71].[72] suggest that scientists (scientists) and policy makers seek/find alternative approaches to changing conventional agricultural intensification technologies that are able to improve ecosystem services (ecoservices) provided by biodiversity.Precision farming is suitable to be implemented because the technology does not have a negative impact on the environment, which means it will maintain the existing biodiversity.Meanwhile, according to [17], the adoption of precision farming technology is closely related to farmers' perceptions and needs to be supported by the government.Therefore, policies regarding the promotion and dissemination of precision farming are urgently needed in order to show farmers the economic and environmental potential and ensure sustainable progress.

Conclusions
Agricultural development in Indonesia, including soybean farming, is considered necessary to apply IT-based modern technology, namely precision farming.Based on various studies, mainly regarding the use of modern IT-based technologies (eg.GIS, Internet of Things/IoT, Variable Rate Technology, Big Data, Remote Sensing, and Robotics), the potential and prospect for implementing precision farming for the development of soybean production in Indonesia is large enough.To support the success of its implementation, there are three important interrelated components, namely: (1) the government, academic, and agricultural companies, (2) farmers and extension workers, and (3) the application of precision farming technology itself.Changes in the mindset of farmers and extension workers (millennial generation) are important factors for the successful implementation of precision farming for soybean development in Indonesia.The benefits of implementing precision farming are increasing productivity, farmer' efficiency and sustainability of production system, reducing farming costs and laborand also negative impacts on the environment.The ultimate goal of implementing precision farming for soybean production is increasing income and welfare of farmers and achieving production targets towards sustainable soybean self-sufficiency.