Nestle Pakistan develops smart soil moisture sensor

Nestle Pakistan team has developed smart soil moisture sensor that can read the moisture/water level of the soil and send regular data updates to a cloud from where farmers receive information about where and which area of his field need irrigation.
The software has been developed with the help of 'Waziup' (an Italian organisation) that enables farmers and researchers to see the soil moisture level remotely on their computer screen. The soil moisture sensor is successfully delivering at Dar-us-Salaam farm situated on Mureedke, Sheikhupura Road as it has reduced the labour of irrigating field, reduced water consumption and fertilizer application and also labour expenses, said Mustafa Yousaf, Managing Director of the farm while talking to Business Recorder here the other day.
Mustafa, a banker and a progressive farmer, said the new technology in collaboration with drip and sprinkler system is giving him 50 to 70 percent saving in water as through this method water is provided in accurate quantity to the roots where it is required. Similarly, he said fertilizers are also applied through the same pipes by dissolving in water, thus saving 50 percent against the old method of broadcast in which fertilizer also falls in areas where it is not required. The old method not only consumes higher quantity of fertilizer but also support weeds which damage the yield. In drip irrigation, weeds could not receive water or fertilizer.
He said the use of smart soil moisture sensors coupled with drip irrigation helps saving water and increase productivity by reducing the chance of under or over-irrigation. Regarding yield, he said this technology is helping the farm to get 30-40 percent more yield as well.
Mustafa has also installed a 10 KVA solar system at his farm with the Punjab govt subsidy which according to him, has made him free of the hardships being faced in case of scheduled and unscheduled power outages and bring his cost down.
Mehboob Elahi, Sustainable Agriculture Manager at Nestle Pakistan, who made his organisation agreed to invest in manufacturing and installation of these smart soil sensors said the sensors have been installed at three pilot farms in Renala, Habibabad and Mariamabad.
"We are also partnering with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) to work on developing and scaling up technologies that can help save water in agriculture...," he added.
The world over, about 70 percent of water is used in agriculture. In Pakistan, that percentage stands at 90 percent, with 50 percent wastage due to poor irrigation methods, Mehboob said.
"We have partnered with the Punjab Agriculture Department to encourage local farmers taking up drip irrigation. Nestlé covers 40 percent of the farmer's cost of putting up equipment for drip irrigation while the Punjab government covers 60 percent of the cost through the World Bank SAMRT Programme," he maintained.
Mehboob said area under drip irrigation, supported by Nestle, has reached 93 acres of land in Sheikhupura district. Doing so will help farmers saving up to 140 million litres of water. The drip has been installed in multiple acres of land at Manawala, Sharaqpur, Mariamabad, Shiekhpura, Murdke Road, Habibabad and Daokey near Allabad. The land has at least two expected harvest in a row annually. By the end of 2019, we hope to achieve water savings of 400 million litres by promoting drip irrigation on 185 acres of land. We are also exploring other high-efficiency irrigation methods like different types of furrow irrigation and sprinklers based on the farmers' needs.
Nestlé Pakistan is also working with Pakistan Agriculture and Research Council (PARC) on drip irrigation and environment sustainability through installation of solar pumps.