Implementation of a Smart Irrigation System for Reducing Watering Waste Vegetable Crop in Ouagadougou: Case of Onion and Tomato Culture.

Abstract

Market gardening is the most common form of agriculture in Burkina Faso, especially in Ouagadougou, with production mainly focused on tomatoes and onions. However, farmers face difficulties in managing the optimal amount of water needed during irrigation to ensure proper crop growth and yields. In this work, the objective is to develop and implement a smart irrigation scheduling system in order to optimize water use while increasing the productivity of vegetable crops such as tomatoes and onions. Thus, after a literature review on irrigation systems, an investigation was carried out to analyze the performance of irrigation techniques. We first visited the Ministry of Agriculture of Burkina Faso, where we were given a list and had the opportunity to meet field experts with knowledge of market gardening practices. Based on these insights, proposals were made regarding the requirements an intelligent irrigation system should fulfill to achieve optimal water savings while boosting agricultural productivity. Following this analysis, we designed and implemented a smart irrigation system to optimize water use and monitor it in real time. Two ESP32 microcontrollers were used. The first integrates a soil moisture sensor and a GPS module. It measures the soil moisture of tomato or onion plants and sends commands to the second ESP32. This second controller is connected to a solenoid valve and a flow meter, and it triggers irrigation only when necessary. All collected data is then stored on Firebase and visualized in real time through a mobile application developed with Flutter. The experiment allowed for continuous monitoring of soil moisture, the amount of water used, and the status of the solenoid valve, thus confirming the system’s ability to collect and transmit useful data for irrigation management.