AI, IoT, and Business Process Automation for Enhanced Productivity, Economic Sustainability, and Reduced Inequalities

Chapter 5 explores how the convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and business-process automation can drive productivity, empower rural economies, and reduce inequality—from coconut groves to dairy barns. It begins by unpacking the market, policy, and climate pressures that make farm-level digitization both vital and complex, followed by an analysis of the data silos that impede progress. Practical case studies anchor the discussion: a coconut-tree–climbing robot addressing labor shortages, and a large language model–driven clinical system that integrates wearable sensors and agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures to support overextended veterinarians in high-production regions such as India. Readers will also explore global stressors on animal-health professionals, learn how multi-agent memory patterns and edge-device workflows capture vital telemetry—temperature, humidity, and rumination—via BLE, off-load it for AI analytics, and transform it into actionable engineering insights. By the chapter’s end, you will see how a fully integrated stack of ICT, edge hardware, and intelligent agents can convert raw sensor data into measurable economic value, social equity, and sustainable agricultural transformation.