The emergence of autonomous irrigation technology streamlines farming operations

The agriculture industry is facing challenges as the global population continues to grow and the amount of arable land decreases. As a result, farmers are using technology to streamline operational processes, influence the way food is being produced and to leave a longstanding positive impact on the environment.

Just about everyone understands the importance of watering plants to ensure they grow, but what if irrigation could not only ensure optimal yield, but save costs on labor and inputs? Precision agricultural irrigation companies, such as WaterBit, think of this when they set out to use IoT technology to make  smart irrigation systems.

Farmers are seeking solutions for data that enables them to make pin-pointed irrigation and fertilization decisions, which help them optimize their crop yields. Water and soil are the main factors that drive crop yields, and when farmer has more control over these factors they have more control over their outcomes.

For example, when developing their smart irrigation system, WaterBit’s goal was to create a reliable networking product in agriculture. WaterBit’s irrigation solution has streamlined farming operations and increased overall productivity where deployed. With LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol, this solution provides two-way communications in response to the primary needs of irrigation and fertilization.

By implementing LoRa, batteries in production units can be eliminated and duplex communication is enabled. Automatic identification systems enable growers to maximize yield across soil types, all while optimizing the use of labor and other input resources. This solution can be used across crops such as tree nuts, corn, cotton and berries.

As the demand for increased crop yields continues to grow, commercial farmers are closely monitoring overhead costs, and turning to technology to minimize expenditures, grow their businesses and feed a growing population.

We’re seeing more LoRa use cases pop up in agriculture given its long range and low power capabilities, which are suited well for the rural environments in which devices are deployed. It’s enabling growers to act based upon events as they happen on the field. Many farmers are also turning to companies such as Semtech to deploy scalable automatic identification systems that are reliable and provide real-time data and information.

The agriculture industry faces many challenges that they cannot control easily, such as the weather. However, technology is enabling farmers to take more of the control back into their own hands through better automation and the ability to streamline their agricultural operations.

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