Information networks
A network is a group of devices joined so they can share data. Phones, computers and sensors join by cable, Wi-Fi, mobile data or satellite.
- LAN: a small network in one building, such as a packing house.
- Internet: a huge network that joins networks across the world.
- Cloud: data stored on far-away computers and opened from any phone.
For farms, networks bring weather, prices and advice quickly, and let sensors send data from the field to the office.
Systematising production, processing, distribution and management
Food passes through four links in a chain.
- Production: growing crops or raising animals.
- Processing: cleaning, packing, making flour, juice or cheese.
- Distribution: storing, transporting and selling.
- Management: planning, money and records for the whole business.
Systematising means making these links work together by one clear system with shared data. If the farm tells the packer the harvest size, the packer can plan; if sales data goes back to the farm, the farmer can plan next season. Traceability (knowing which field a pack came from) is another benefit.
Analysing and using agricultural information
Steps of analysis:
- Collect data carefully, with date and unit.
- Organise it in a table or spreadsheet.
- Show it as a bar chart, line graph or map.
- Find patterns: totals, averages, highest and lowest, and the trend.
- Use it: forecast, compare with the plan, decide, then check again.
The mean is the sum divided by the count. A trend is the direction in which values move. A forecast is a careful guess about the future from the trend, so it can be wrong. Check it with real results.
Try it: your own harvest chart
Measure the height of a plant (or the number of leaves) every 2 days for 12 days. Write the numbers in a table. Draw bars. Draw a line through the tops. Predict day 14, then measure and see how close you were.
Key formulas and definitions
- Mean = sum of values / number of values
- Trend = average change per day
- Forecast = last value + trend x days ahead
- Stock - orders = left over (negative means short)
Worked examples
1. Harvest on 6 days: 20, 26, 31, 38, 44, 51 kg. Find the total and the mean.
Total = 20 + 26 + 31 + 38 + 44 + 51 = 210 kg. Mean = 210 / 6 = 35 kg per day.
2. The harvest rises by about 6 kg each day. The last value is 51 kg. Forecast day 7.
51 + 6 = 57 kg.
3. Forecast stock is 57 kg but orders are 70 kg. Is stock enough?
57 - 70 = -13 kg. Short by 13 kg. Management should find 13 kg more or tell the buyer.
4. Name the four links of the food chain and one data item each could share.
Production: harvest size. Processing: packed boxes. Distribution: truck arrival time. Management: cost and money received.
Common mistakes
- Treating a forecast as certain. It is only a careful guess from the trend.
- Drawing a chart without labels and units, so nobody can read it.
- Keeping data in four places that do not talk to each other.
- Using one wrong data point without checking, which spoils the trend.