Flow-Aid helps farmers save water for irrigation

We have learned about Koubachi plant monitoring equipment (Switzerland) and Parrot's Flower Power remote plant tracking device, with the ability to send information to smart phones. Users know when flowers need watering. Combining these two ideas, a team of experts from 11 companies and research institutes in Europe has developed a device called Flow-Aid that has potential for use in agriculture.

Flow-Aid helps drought-stricken farmers know when crops need watering and how much water is needed to save water and avoid unnecessary irrigation.

With a smartphone, farmers can access the Flow-Aid system via the Internet to check moisture content and nutrient content in the soil. This system will tell them when these two indices decrease to the extent that they need irrigation and fertilization, as well as when to start the irrigation system remotely over the telephone. Once the moisture and nutrients in the soil are restored, they can use the phone to shut down the system. In addition, the system also includes software that contains elements such as crop characteristics, soil and water characteristics.

So far, Flow-Aid has been tested in six countries, where experts say the amount of water needed to irrigate has fallen by 10-50%, while the volume of fertilizer used has also dropped by 30%, helping the farmer People do not waste money while reducing the amount of fertilizer released into the environment.