Design and Evaluation of an Automatic Scheduling-Manual Operation Tool to Bring Precision Irrigation to Resource-Constrained Farmers
Name
v03bt03a016-detc2023-112470.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
4.34 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
bd7f37917dcc97e3b8792c5c6ae1f81f
Author(s)
Van de Zande, Georgia D
Sheline, Carolyn
Amrose, Susan
Costello, Jeffrey
Ghodgaonkar, Aditya
Grant, Fiona
Winter, Amos G
Date Issued
August 20, 2023
Journal
Volume 3B: 49th Design Automation Conference (DAC)
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Citation
Van de Zande, Georgia D, Sheline, Carolyn, Amrose, Susan, Costello, Jeffrey, Ghodgaonkar, Aditya et al. 2023. "Design and Evaluation of an Automatic Scheduling-Manual Operation Tool to Bring Precision Irrigation to Resource-Constrained Farmers." Volume 3B: 49th Design Automation Conference (DAC).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
As populations increase and freshwater supplies decrease, adopting water- and energy-efficient irrigation practices is crucial, particularly in resource-constrained regions. Here, farmers are often unable to purchase the equipment used in precision irrigation, a practice that implements the automatic scheduling of irrigation events to achieve high efficiency. Currently, no irrigation methods exist that combine the automatic scheduling of irrigation events with the manual operation of valves, a common practice on low-income farms. This work introduces a design concept for an automatic scheduling and manual operation (AS-MO) tool that addresses the efficiency needs of resource-constrained farms and integrates into current manual practices. However, it is unknown how farmers would value such a tool. Through interviews and focus groups facilitated by a series of storyboards and a physical prototype, the proposed concept was evaluated by farmers and key market stakeholders in Kenya, Jordan, and Morocco. Results showed that farmers in Kenya and Jordan in particular valued the proposed AS-MO concept because they want increased efficiency on their farms but did not want to install automatic valves for cost and complexity concerns. A possible market was also found in Morocco, but a majority of interviewed farms preferred automatic valve operation due to large farm sizes. Interviewees provided feedback on how to improve the tool’s design in future iterations. If adopted at scale, this AS-MO tool could increase efficiency on farms that otherwise cannot afford current precision irrigation technology, improving sustainable agriculture worldwide.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
10.1115/detc2023-112470
