IoT-Based Smart Irrigation System for Precision Soil Moisture Monitoring and Water Optimization

Abstract

Agriculture remains a vital sector for global food security and economic stability; however, it is increasingly affected by climate variability, soil degradation, and water scarcity, particularly in rain-fed regions. Efficient soil moisture and nutrient management is essential to improve crop productivity and optimize resource utilization. This study presents an IoT-based smart agriculture framework for real-time soil moisture monitoring and automated irrigation control to support efficient water management in rain-fed farming systems. The proposed system integrates a low-cost soil moisture sensor with an Arduino-based microcontroller to continuously monitor soil moisture and trigger irrigation based on a predefined threshold. The sensor data are transmitted to a digital platform for real-time visualization and decision support. Experimental evaluation demonstrated soil moisture measurement performance with errors ranging from approximately −2.1% to +2.4%. The system successfully detected moisture conditions and initiated automated irrigation, reducing manual intervention and supporting responsive irrigation management. Soil fertility assessment further identified deficiencies in key nutrients, supporting nutrient-specific management recommendations. The proposed framework provides a practical basis for precision irrigation and integrated soil management, while further large-scale and long-term validation is required to establish its generalizability and scalability.