Project final report

A traffic light soil water sensor for resource poor farmers: proof of concept -​ Final Report

Date released
07 July 2021
ISBN
978-1-925133-37-0
Publication Code
FR2014-18
Authors

R. Stirzaker, N. Car and M. Chilundo

Overview

In Africa, irrigation is largely under-developed and innovations are needed to help small-scale farmers manage their irrigation water. This project's main objectives were to assess the sensor’s accuracy, develop a robust handheld interface, and develop mobile phone apps to collect and display the sensor’s data.

This study was the first step to delivering technology to such farmers by road testing a prototype sensor that measures soil moisture and gives an output resembling a traffic light: green (meaning plenty of water), orange (transition state), or red (running out of water). The research tested the usefulness and acceptability of the sensor to African smallholder farmers.

View the project page