IoT-Enabled Water Management: A Low-Cost Framework for Sustainable Irrigation in Agricultural Farms and Home Gardens

Agriculture is a major contributor to Bangladesh's economy, with many people depending on it for their livelihoods. Farming and gardening are considered a key initiative in mitigating global warming as well as providing economic support for many families in Bangladesh. However, the vulnerability of gardens to damage during long weekends and vacations necessitates smart solutions. Also, proper irrigation is crucial for agriculture-based farms to thrive, as it is highly dependent on environmental conditions. This paper explores the application of Internet of Things (IoT)-based smart technologies as a promising solution to address this issue. A user-friendly, low-cost system facilitates the commercialization of such solutions on a large scale. In this work, we have implemented an IoT-based solution for the irrigation and watering system for agricultural firms and home gardens in Bangladesh, respectively. Considering the diverse weather conditions of Bangladesh, three key parameters, such as moisture, temperature, and humidity; have been monitored continuously and analyzed in real-time. The proposed system consists of two parts: the watering system, and the mobile app interface. The watering system incorporates an ESP32 Node MCU, sensors, two servo motors and a water pump. In automatic mode the water supply inside the garden or farm is connected to a water pump, that will be activated when the soil moisture sensor detects low moisture level, and the ambient sensor detects low humidity or high temperature. Alternatively, the garden or farm owners can remotely control the pump motor through the mobile app to water in the farm leveraging sensor data. Also, it can control the water flow angle according to their preferences. Additionally, this proposed system has the potential to save 25% to 40% of water and energy resources than traditional irrigation methods. The overall cost of the system is approximately 2476 taka, which is around the cost of 20 USD. The system is designed to be universal, accommodating gardens and farms of various sizes and shapes while promoting water conservation.