Introduction

This book brings to readers thirteen chapters with contributions to the benefits of using IoT and Cloud Computing to agro-ecosystems from a multi-disciplinary perspective. IoT and Cloud systems have prompted the development of a Cloud digital ecosystem referred to as Cloud-to-thing continuum computing. The key success of IoT computing and the Cloud digital ecosystem is that IoT can be integrated seamlessly with the physical environment and therefore has the potential to leverage innovative services in agro-ecosystems. Areas such as ecological monitoring, agriculture, and biodiversity constitute a large area of potential application of IoT and Cloud technologies. In contrast to traditional agriculture systems that have employed aggressive policies to increase productivity, new agro-ecosystems aim to increase productivity but also achieve efficiency and competitiveness in modern sustainable agriculture and contribute, more broadly, to the green economy and sustainable food-chain industry.

Fundamental research as well as concrete applications from various real-life scenarios, such as smart farming, precision agriculture, green agriculture, sustainable livestock and sow farming, climate threat, and societal and environmental impacts, is presented. Research issues and challenges are also discussed towards envisioning efficient and scalable solutions to agro-ecosystems based on IoT and Cloud technologies. Our fundamental belief is that we can collectively trigger a new revolution that will transition agriculture into an equable system that not only feeds the world, but also contributes to mitigating the climate change and biodiversity crises that our historical actions have triggered.