California is currently suffering from the worst drought in its history. And things are getting so desperate that the state is now embarking on a $1 billion desalination project that includes processing millions of gallons of seawater to deliver 50 million gallons of drinking water a day.
And while this is a costly solution to the drought, an agriculture technology company might have just found a way to help make resources go further by developing a smart water monitoring system.
CropX has developed what it refers to as the world's most advanced irrigation system to help increase crop production and decrease energy use.
Developed by a team of scientists, this automated irrigation system would help reduce the amount of water and energy wasted by current irrigation systems that overwater parts of a field, while other parts are left thirsty. The smart water system automatically applies the precise amount of water the field needs by using daily irrigation maps to analyze the topography, soil structure, and current moisture.
The farmers can easily manage their fields and make adjustments in real-time right from their smartphones. After they download the CropX app, users must place three wireless sensors in the ground that then send soil readings to the cloud. The agri-tech company's software then analyzes the data, and uses algorithms to determine how the field should be effectively and efficiently irrigated.
The team at CropX has been testing the system over the past five years, and recently raised $9 million from investing led by Innovation Endeavors (from Google's chairman Eric Schmidt), Finistere Ventures, and GreenSoil Investments.
"As a pioneer in the AgTech sector, we are always looking for promising technologies with the potential to make a meaningful difference to farmers' profitability and sustainability," co-founder and partner at Finistere Ventures Arama Kukutai said in a press release. "CropX is the first retail-priced solution allowing farmers to control irrigation to minimize water use, save on farm energy, augment yield, and control fertilizer runoff, thereby improving environmental compliance."
There are no set-up fees or capital costs for farmers looking to try the smart water system, so while this precision agriculture isn't a new concept, the company is aiming to make it the easiest and cheapest to use.
Learn more about CropX's smart water system in the video below.
Photo: CropX
Be sure to follow Tech Times on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
