There is a meme that floats around the internet. It never get’s old. It is a broken cart with square wheels and a man trying to advance the concept of round ones. The crowd that circles the cart shoos him away. The reason this meme has such staying power in the domain of digital novelty tells you that it holds truth.
When we look at irrigation pivots in square fields with no hedgerow, something similar comes to mind: A round peg in a square hole. Squares and rectangles dominate agricultural planning. Yet there are very few square crops?
When you consider the utility of swales, mulching, prevailing wind patterns, crop rotation, soil variation, solar cycles, weather forecasting, seasonal planting, layering, livestock breeding patterns and hard labor in wet fields, none of those concepts is square. Conversely, they are cyclical, often predictable. Thinking “outside the box,” is logical, looking at cycles, patterns and movements. There is a flow to it.
Smart systems hold value by integrating with natural cycles
- Water Conservation: By optimizing water use, smart irrigation reduces the strain on local water sources, preserving them for the long term. This is especially important in arid areas where water scarcity is an everyday reality. Water metering with IoT provides real-time data.
- Boosting Crop Yields: Consistent and precise watering can improve crop health, leading to higher yields. In places where every harvest matters, smart irrigation can mean the difference between just getting by and having a surplus.
- Smart Pivot and linear irrigation systems are common in large-scale agriculture, especially in areas that need to cover large fields efficiently. Pivot irrigation systems move in a circular path, linear systems, on the other hand, move in straight lines, ideal for rectangular fields. Both systems allow water to be distributed more precisely than traditional flood irrigation, but adding IoT takes precision to a whole new level.
- Drip irrigation systems “Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface. The goal is to place water directly into the root zone and minimize evaporation. ” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drip_irrigation
Touchpoints
- Precision Water Management: Real-Time Monitoring
- Environmental Sustainability: Resource Optimization
- Enhanced Crop Yields: Optimal Growth Conditions
- Cost Savings: Reduced Labor Costs
- Remote Accessibility: Convenient Management
- Data-Driven Insights: Informed Decisions
- Return on Investment (ROI): 1 to 3 years
Sources
- www.farmhq.com/blog/the-benefits-of-using-iot-for-irrigation-management
- https://irrigreen.com/blogs/sprinkler-systems/smart-irrigation-solutions
- hashstudioz.com/blog/enhancing-agriculture-with-iot-based-smart-irrigation-systems
- https://smartwatermagazine.com/blogs/justin-nichols/economic-benefits-iot-driven-smart-irrigation-systems
- https://stormotion.io/blog/agriculture-iot
- https://datafloq.com/read/iot-revolutionizing-agriculture-benefits-farming
- https://store.outrightcrm.com/blog/smart-irrigation-system-using-iot
