Design Architecture of Autonomous Precision Farming System

Precision farming technology is a valuable management concept that aids accurate soil parameter monitoring & control. Automation allows farmers to apply optimal amount of water and fertilizers at the field locations upon requirement. This paper describes the design and development of an Autonomous Precision Farming System (APFS) for agriculture automation. It is a low power, user friendly system which helps the farmers to plan irrigation and fertilization based on environmental and soil conditions. The system can intelligently operate pumps / valves based on the data available from the field and the preloaded programs available in the controller. APFS monitors and maintain the various farming parameters like soil moisture, pH level, atmospheric temperature, humidity, fertilizer concentration etc. and appraises the information to farmers. APFS features Wireless data acquisition through wireless motes. The graphical TFT touch screen provides responsive user interface. The farmers can configure the device for getting alerts of critical field parameters or hazardous conditions. These alerts can be conveyed to the farmer in the form of preprogrammed text Messages to his mobile phone through SMS. The system also incorporates mechanism for controlling the agricultural field equipment from a remote location through DTMF technique using mobile phones.