Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1493193
2023 USE CASE KWS Increases Yields and Lowers Costs for Farmers with LoRaWAN Ò Soil Sensors BREEDING BETTER SEEDS As one of the world's largest seed companies, KWS delivers seeds and services to farmers across the globe. KWS' seeds are carefully bred to ensure high growth in each location – and it has farms in Europe, China and the Americas where it runs trial crops to improve quality. As part of this work, the company needs to understand the link between crop performance and the levels of moisture and nutrients in the soil. With this knowledge, it can breed more resilient seeds that deliver higher yields and it can better advise its customers on how to grow them. KWS teamed up with Satellite IoT company Wyld Networks to develop a smart soil monitoring solution, based on LoRaWAN Ò . SOIL MONITORING WITH LORAWAN Ò The soil monitoring solution deploys numerous sensors across a field to collect data on moisture and nutrient levels at different soil depths. The solution utilizes a hybrid LoRaWAN Ò network to transfer data at a low-cost. • Small sensors in the field collect data from various levels in the soil. • The data is relayed by Wyld Networks to nearby LoRaWAN Ò gateways. If gateways are unavailable, it is relayed to low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites operated by Eutelsat or Lacuna. • The data is passed to Wyld Networks' Wyld Fusion software platform and then to KWS's cloud-based data analytics platform. The solution is currently being trialed in Germany and France. If successful, it may be rolled out to farmers globally. FEEDING THE WORLD'S GROWING POPULATION As the global population increases, the agricultural industry needs to produce more food from the same amount of land. To do this, farmers must ensure the optimal growing conditions for each crop. Through LoRaWAN Ò -enabled soil sensors, farmers can accurately measure moisture and nutrient levels throughout the year – and adjust irrigation and supplement use to ensure a high yield. • Higher crop yields: Targeted use of irrigation and nutrients increases crop yields, even in wetter/drier years • Lower costs: Less water and fertilizer is wasted, lowering farm costs • Better sustainability: Reduced water and nutrient use preserves water and limits fertilizer run-off WHY LoRaWAN Ò ? LoRaWAN Ò 's long range means the soil sensors can maintain connectivity to gateways or satellites, even in isolated areas. In addition, its low power consumption enables the sensors to operate for long periods (up to 5 years) without a battery change, reducing costs and maintenance requirements. Smart Agriculture Worldwide Satellite IoT