Automated Rice Farming: A Sensor-Fused AI–IoT Framework for Smart Water Management

– Water is a key subject to manage in rice agriculture, and especially in Karnataka, where farmers continue to rely on traditional farming methods. Many farmers establish a schedule for watering their rice crop, based on years of farming experience, however, the continual change in weather patterns means that this experience must be taken into consideration along with the changes in weather for the previous year (such as rainfall and temperature increases). The result is that many farmers risk either over-irrigating or under-irrigating their crops. These risks, depending on whether they are too much or too little water, will have negative consequences on their crop yield, the health of the soil, and their overall productivity. This paper describes the use of a smart irrigation system that utilizes IoT sensors and artificial intelligence to assist farmers with their irrigation practices. The smart irrigation system gathers information about the moisture in the soil, temperature, humidity, and water levels in real-time from the farmer’s field and uses this information, combined with short term weather predictions from local weather stations, to develop a better understanding of the factors affecting the agricultural industry in that area and how they will continue to be affected. The intelligent irrigation system’s goal is not to replace the farmer but to provide the farmer with simple, practical suggestions to help him or her make more informed decisions. The overall objectives of the smart irrigation system are to reduce water usage, decrease the cost of irrigation and improve the efficiency of rice production in light of the changing climate.