Smart Drip Irrigation

Zimbabwe experiences very high temperatures and decreasing water tables and this is the most challenging problem within the agricultural sector. Water conservation is a top priority especially in Zimbabwe’s region 2, where 70% of the farmers rely on irrigation. The El Nino drought which started in 2023, accompanied by very high temperatures, low rainfall and prolonged dryness is causing adverse effects on farming in the country. This event, being worse than the 2015-16 El Nino, has left the country with a crippling drought affecting over 60% of the seasonal crops. The long-term impact of this climatic event is bound to affect child nutrition by 2025, hence, the urgency to have sustainable measures of water management in place to curb the consequences of climate change. The system that was designed covers the implementation of Internet of Things technology, and the use of soil moisture sensors to measure soil moisture levels in real time and this measured data is used for analysis so that farmers can come up with better irrigation schedules for each crop and hence save water. The Blynk application is used to process the collected data and allow the farmer to control the irrigation remotely. The use of smart drip irrigation assists in water management and long term crop productivity mainly in drought stricken areas.