Context-aware self-powered intelligent soil monitoring system for precise agriculture

Abstract

The agricultural sector is transforming with advanced technologies such as internet of things (IoT), cloud computing, and machine learning, for increased productivity and sustainability. However, fixed sensor deployments struggle to capture the dynamic and heterogeneous soil properties with irregularities in farming operations, and negatively impacting crop performance and resource utilization. This paper presents a novel context-aware, self-powered intelligent soil monitoring system (ISMS) applied in precision agriculture. By integrating advanced sensors, energy harvesting, real-time data analytics, and context-aware decision support, ISMS provides real-time context insights into soil, energy, and weather conditions. The informed decisions are enabled and tailored to their specific agricultural environment. The system utilizes a multi-parameter soil sensor, photovoltaic (PV) panel, and intelligent context-aware analytics for a sustainable, cost-effective solution powered by solar energy and OpenWeather application program interface (API) for weather data. Field tests over two months demonstrated the system's effectiveness, together with continuous operation without grid power. This research highlights ISMS's potential in enhancing soil nutrient management and decision-making and offering significant economic and environmental benefits for modern agriculture, especially in remote areas.