Agriculture 4.0. Supporting ecological family farming production in Paraguay through a network of smart devices based on IoT

• Country: Paraguay
  Location: Ypacaraí, Arroyos y Esteros, La Colmena
  Start date: 01/02/2021
  End date: 31/01/2023
  Consortium: Universidad Loyola, Fundación ETEA, Fundación Ayesa, Universidad de Sevilla
  Local partner(s): Alter Vida, Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FIUNA)
  Funder: AECID
  Funding: 386.100,00 EUR
  Research line: Engineering

It aims to contribute to the digitalisation of family farming, to optimise resources (water, energy, soil nutrients), facilitate management, increase its sustainability and improve its competitiveness:

• Deploying a network of low-cost IoT-based smart devices
• Implementing distributed intelligence in IoT devices to estimate field variables (mainly humidity and temperature)
• Applying AI and Machine Learning algorithms on Big Data generated and stored in the cloud to predict real irrigation needs
• Developing advanced automatic irrigation control systems in real time, according to the needs detected, as well as reducing the energy costs associated with pumping
• Disseminating technology aimed at sustainability
• Supporting the valorisation of the technology and its advantages in the market and value chains

Complementarily, training and technical assistance in organic and agro-ecological production will be provided to each farm in order to have skills and knowledge on production variables such as organic fertilisation, crop association, rotation, use of bio-inputs for the attack of pests and diseases, soil cover, among others, in vegetable, tomato, locote, cruciferous, sugar cane and fruit crops.