## 1 Introduction  
Agricultural production represents a strategic sector of any national economy. This is particularly true in Latin American countries, where traditionally a large percentage of the population is rural and depends on traditional agricultural production to live. Efficiently monitoring crops is critical because it significantly increases production, rationalizes the use of water and other consumables, and produces value-added crops [1]. However, crop monitoring can sometimes present technological difficulties, thus increasing operational costs and maintenance. The cost and maintenance of complex systems often exceeds what smaller farmers can invest. Smaller producers in developing countries cannot exploit the benefits of a scale economy. Unfortunately, because smaller, traditional producers often cannot compete, they abandon their fields seeking improved economic opportunities in the cities. In Latin America countries, approximately 40% of the population has migrated from rural to urban settings either in their own countries or abroad [2]. This migratory trend has resulted in decreased agricultural production and increased agricultural imports, leading to increased trade deficits and foreign dependency on foreign sources, both of which can contribute to making basic products difficult to acquire [3]. Mexico is not an exception to Latin American trends regarding its agricultural sector. The modernization of farming practices and the use of technology in Mexico's fields has been at the center of great debate. Because most of Mexico's land is not suitable for traditional agriculture, modernization of agricultural practices and the principle of competitive advantage infer a transition, in part, to non-traditional crops cultivated with emerging technologies, including wireless technologies, such as sensors and actuators. This automation may not only significantly improve production and crop quality, but more efficiently use often scarce natural resources such as soil and water. Precision agriculture techniques, whose objective is to efficiently use consumables such as fertilizers, pesticides, soil, and water, among others, can be applied in both open and closed spaces. An additional advantage of precision agriculture techniques is that they can reduce the use of dangerous agricultural products that contaminate the environment. Precision agriculture traditionally involves global positioning (GPS) to help identify problems related to ground monitoring, insect pests, humidity and crop density, among others. Present satellite technology and image analysis, however, can be rather costly and imprecise, as many problems are too small to be detected by satellite imagery. Sustainable agricultural practices emphasize the development of biotechnology, techniques to increase crop production, and the application of technology to agricultural production, among others. However, these practices make applying state-of-the-art technology in many parts of the world difficult to achieve. Expanding the role of technology to monitor and control crops and otherwise automate agricultural practices is essential to decrease costs and provide benefits to a greater percentage of producers worldwide. Precision agriculture, comprised of sensors, wireless networks,computer hardware, software applications, and wireless communication technologies can significantly reduce the time a producer requires to make important decisions related to resource management, planning, administration, process analysis and evaluation, which ultimately contribute to improved decision making. Presently, the agricultural sector does not sufficiently employ technology and informatics to modify production practices. Although progress is being made with regards to the deployment of sensors, wireless networks, actuators and other electromechanical devices in agricultural settings, there are still important areas of development that have not been sufficiently explored.