An IoT-based decision support tool for irrigation scheduling and carbon footprints labeling

Background

Agriculture uses approximately 70% of the planet’s freshwater supply, of which 40% is used for rice cultivation (FAO 2016). Currently, rice constitutes a staple food for half of the world’s population; more than three billion people rely on the grain for their main source of livelihood. Enhancing rice production – and increasing water productivity – will be essential to ensure food security for this population.

AutoMonPH is a decision support tool for sustainable water management developed by scientists at IRRI and the Philippines Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Philippines. It provides a platform of information sharing for efficient water management; real-time monitoring and reporting; verification of water management practices; multi-stakeholder interaction; and reduction of transaction times and cost of effective coordination amongst stakeholders.

Challenge

AutoMonPH aims to address the following core issues

• Inefficient water use and management for irrigation
• Uncoordinated, ineffective water governance
• Lack of sustainable, scalable programs providing holistic solutions from field to policy
• Lack of real-time data to drive decision making for irrigation

How does it work?

AutoMonPH is an Internet of Things (IoT) solution, which refers to a network of objects – things – that communicate with water level sensors using wireless connectivity. As an IoT solution, it provides:

• Efficient water management
• Continuous, real-time monitoring and reporting
• Verification of water management practices
• Multi-stakeholder interface
• Reduction of transaction times and cost of effective coordination amongst stakeholders
• Facilitate computation of methane emission/C-footprint in rice with real time water management information

Conceptual framework of AutoMonPH operation

Interface/Dashboard for the irrigation managers

AutoMonPH is based on a scientifically proven method for irrigation called alternate wetting and drying (AWD) that improves water productivity and management.

Next Steps

IRRI continues to pursue partnerships to advance the AutoMonPH work. Complementing the data collected by AutoMonPH sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) can provide additional insights about fields, crops and environment-specific factors that can provide holistic recommendations and guidance for water management.

For more information: Visit https://www.irri.org/water-science or waterice.irri.org or Contact Dr. Sudhir Yadav (s.yadav@irri.org)