Solución de agricultura vertical inteligente y sostenible basada en IoT para los desafíos agrícolas en Pakistán

Sadiq Ur Rehman; Muhammad Adeel Mannan; Muhammad Ahsan Shaikh; Muhammad Uzair

doi:10.36561/ING.29.7

Authors

Sadiq Ur Rehman IQRA University, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6308-450X
Muhammad Adeel Mannan Bahria University, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0811-4753
Muhammad Ahsan Shaikh Hamdard University, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2408-5689
Muhammad Uzair Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1063-9476

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36561/ING.29.7

Keywords:

Agriculture, Solar Energy, Water Efficiency,, Sustainable Agriculture, Vertical Farming

Abstract

Agriculture in Pakistan faces critical challenges such as water scarcity, inefficient resource use, and climate change impacts, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. This study presents a smart, solar-powered vertical farming system designed to address these issues by integrating capacitive soil moisture sensors, temperature and humidity sensors (DHT22), and light sensors (BH1750), controlled via Raspberry Pi 4. The off-grid system, powered by a 100-watt solar panel and battery, features intelligent irrigation driven by a Random Forest algorithm to optimize water use. Over a six-week trial cultivating cherry tomatoes, the system achieved a 60–65% yield increase, 40% energy savings, and a 28.57% reduction in water consumption compared to traditional methods. While promising, limitations include the small trial size and lack of long-term environmental impact data. Scalability challenges such as cost, maintenance, and local constraints must be addressed for wider adoption. Future work will focus on expanding crop varieties, enhancing AI integration, and improving accessibility for small-scale farmers to support sustainable urban agriculture and food security in Pakistan.

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