A Solar-Powered LoRa-IoT Framework for Autonomous Multi-Parameter Smart Irrigation in Precision Agriculture

Abstract

Precision agriculture is based on the efficient management of water in the areas that are characterized by water scarcity and rising labor costs. The paper introduces a new IoT-based solar-powered smart irrigation system based on the low-power, long-range (LoRa) communication protocol to measure and regulate various environmental indicators. In the proposed system, the real-time soil moisture, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and water level sensors are incorporated, which allows independent irrigation based on a threshold-based decision algorithm. Information on field nodes is relayed via LoRa to a central receiver and at the same time uploaded to an IoT platform in order to view it remotely, conduct historical analysis, and monitor it in real-time. The integration of solar energy would also assure continuous off-grid performance, enhanced efficiency of energy, and sustainability. This framework delivers a fully closed-loop system with sensing, actuation, feedback, and renewable energy unlike the current solutions where the solution focuses on monitoring or single-function automation. The experimental validation has shown that the system has good long-range communication, low power use, and exact irrigation control, which means that it can be used to optimize water use, minimize human efforts and support scalable precision farming methods. Experimental analysis demonstrated 27.1% water savings, reliable communication up to 2 km, and stable off-grid operation under real-time agricultural conditions. which means that it can be used to optimize water use, minimize human efforts and be used to support scalable precision farming methods. The piece brings on board a viable, energy saving and sustainable method of agriculture in modern times, which are applicable in various crop settings.