Fighting against water scarcity - WetSoil project

Water scarcity has become one of the most serious issues of our time, presenting a threat to all lifeforms on Earth.

The agricultural sector currently consumes about 70% of all freshwater diverted for human use. It is considered as one of the primary sectors responsible for the water shortages we are experiencing today.

Farmers want to avoid water deficiencies during the growing season and “A little extra” irrigation turns into “too much” when the water in the active root zone reaches, and exceeds, the field’s capacity, leading to inefficiencies.

In WetSoil, we propose an easy-to-use, low-cost system that quantifies the Soil Water Content directly in the field. The system uses multi-length probes positioned in the field, transmitting electromagnetic signals and measuring the reflected signals induced by the discontinuity at the probe-soil interface.

By analysing the nature of the reflected signals, an estimate of the dielectric constant is determined. This gives an indication of the amount of energy stored in the soil and can be correlated to its water content.

Based on this knowledge farmers can optimise their irrigation schedules, and hence, the agricultural efficiencies.