Introduction
Lifely’s main goals certainly include reducing environmental impact and improving resource efficiency by promoting sustainable agricultural practices with a strong focus on technology innovation.
And it is within this context that the SPRITZ project, A research and development project that aims to revolutionize the way farms, and especially agritourisms, manage water and energy resources.
TSuch resources, especially in local contexts such as Sardinia, are often limited, and therefore it becomes even more important to know how to manage them by being very careful about using.
PROJECT
SPRITZ, acronym for Sensorized Platform for the Reconfiguration of IrrigaTion based on Zone measurements, is a project that combines advanced technology and agricultural sustainability, designed to revolutionize water and energy management on small and medium-sized farms, aiming to reduce waste, improve efficiency and minimize environmental impact.
OBJECTIVES
The goal is to design and implement a smart irrigation controller capable of:
- Monitor the company’s water and energy footprint
- Reduce water and energy consumption
- Optimizing irrigation cycles
- Increasing environmental sustainability
- Improving crop productivityIncreasing environmental sustainability
TECHNOLOGIES AND METHODOLOGIES
SPRITZ integrates:
- An ESP32-based intelligent irrigation control module with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and LoRaWAN connectivity
- Modules for monitoring energy and water consumption using Smart Power Meter and ultrasonic Water Meter (LoRaWAN)
- Self-powered with solar panels and LiPo batteries
- Field sensors: sensors for soil moisture, temperature, electrical conductivity, leaf wetness, weather stations
- Cloud connectivity via MQTT, IoT SIMs and open APIs
INTERFACE AND CONTROL
- Integrated web server for remote monitoring
- Web dashboard for irrigation zone management
- Local database for data collection
- Predictive algorithms for cycle optimization.
THE SPRITZ DASHBOARD
One of the central elements of the SPRITZ project is the interactive dashboard, accessible at: https://spritzpro.com/dashboard/.
This platform enables farmers to:
- Monitor water and energy consumption in real time
- Menage irrigation zones intuitively
- Visualize weather and environmental data
- Consult graphs and reports on system performance
- Receive alerts and suggestions for optimizing irrigation cycles
The dashboard is designed to be accessible from both desktop and mobile devices, with a user-friendly interface designed to support even non-tech savvy users.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
SPRITZ integrates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) models to evaluate and improve environmental performance. The information collected enables:
- Assess water and energy efficiency
- Calculate vegetation indices
- Determine the environmental value of productions
Use Case: AGAVE Farmhouse
The experimentation of the project was carried out at the AGAVE Farmhouse in Sardinia.
SPRITZ represents a concrete example of agriculture 4.0 in the service of sustainability: simple but effective technology designed for local realities.
Link: https://spritzpro.com/