Optimizing Agricultural Irrigation in Arequipa - Peru, Through an IoT-Enable Automated Sprinkler Irrigation System

The Arequipa region in Peru has challenges in agricultural water management due to the erroneous use of water for irrigation and fluctuating climatic features. This research work describes the design and testing of an IoT-based automated sprinkler irrigation system that was developed with the view to facilitate the efficient use of water in irrigation and boost agricultural yield in the area. The system employs a Raspberry Pi 4B as the principal microcontroller board, which communicates with the soil moisture sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, and weather tickers that track the climate parameters in real-time. The collected sensor data is transferred to a Wi-Fi network that stores data in a cloud, provides farmers with the history of data analysis, and grants them the ability to manually control this system through a web or mobile application. The automated system turns on sprinklers when the soil moisture level reaches certain levels and thus cuts on water usage while making the crops healthier. Some of the benefits obtained during the field trials were that they were able to use 30% less water and get 12% more crop yield than with conventional irrigation methods. Further, assessments made by farmers on Microsoft’s Product Reaction Cards (MPRC) showed that the system was easy to use, reliable and efficient.