Traditionally, farming required a lot of time, labor, and water. After Industrial Revolution, people started to use machine to save time and labor. However, farmers still have a great need for fresh water. According to research, agriculture uses 70 percent of the world’s available fresh water which is a shrinking supply with a growing demand expected to increase by 55 percent in the next three decades. However, there is good news, there is a system that can help farmers not only save time, but also use less water and electricity, reduce costs and increase yields.
The SCADAfarm, developed with Schneider Electric on Microsoft’s Azure IoT platform by WaterForce, a New Zealand irrigation and water management company, is an industrial Internet of Things solution, to monitor and manage water use. “We’ve been helping transform the industry for a long time, and sustainable farming and water conservation are ways we’re delivering on our commitment to sustainability,” said Rob McGreevy, vice president of information, operations and asset management at Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation.
With SCADAfarm, farmers can remotely monitor and operate their irrigators and pumps; customize sprinklers for individual crops, soil types and moisture levels; and incorporate real-time data from a weather station on the farm, which helps farmers quickly adjust irrigation for rain, wind, heat and other conditions.
The SCADAfarm makes it easier for people to analyze watering plans and comply with reporting regulations. It alerts farmers if something is wrong, and it monitors the water storage and allows farmers to analyze spot prices, so they know how much they need and when to pump more based on spot price trends, a task automated and optimized for cheaper electricity at night.
This system helps farmers become more agile and efficient, and at the same time, it helps the environment to be more sustainable for the future.
“That’s why we went with Schneider Electric and Microsoft,” said WaterForce director Ron McFetridge. “Sustainable farming is going to be more important every year that goes by. We believe technology is one of the tools that can help farmers stay sustainable as a financial business, but also within the environment they operate.”
https://news.microsoft.com/transform/schneider-electric-transforms-agriculture-internet-of-things-sustainable-farming/