Saving water and improving crops

Climate change has resulted in uncertain water supply in some areas in U.S. agriculture, reducing crop yield and increasing costs. Compounding the problem, irrigation system soil water sensors have been inaccurate, leading to over and underwatering.

To tackle this problem, three private companies partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture under a cooperative R&D agreement that also featured SBIR grants to a small business. Together, they created an autonomous, site-specific irrigation management system that saves ag business owners money and increases crop yield. The new system takes water only to where it’s needed, reducing water use. The system has increased ag business productivity and efficient use of resources.

Learn more at federallabs.org.