How to Optimize Agricultural Irrigation in the Face of Climate Change?

A Changing Agricultural Landscape

With water resources becoming increasingly scarce and extreme weather events more frequent, farmers must adapt their practices. Irrigation is becoming a strategic issue, yet it still too often relies on intuition or experience, which can lead to over- or under-watering both harmful to crops and the environment.

The INBW Project: Toward Smart Irrigation

A goal was then set to develop an intelligent platform capable of centralizing and leveraging meteorological and agronomic data to automate and refine irrigation. To achieve this, a reliable, mobile, and easily integrable tool was created.

A Technological Solution: The Weather Backpack

The answer came from LAMBRECHT meteo, a company specializing in meteorological measurement instruments. Their solution, the Weather Backpack, is an all-in-one weather station designed for demanding research environments. It measures seven essential parameters: temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, dew point, global radiation, wind speed, and direction. Thanks to its portable, robust, and connected design, the Weather Backpack can be quickly deployed in the field without complex installation. It offers real-time data transmission and compatibility with other sensors, such as precipitation gauges.

An Effective Collaboration Between Research and Industry

The partnership between LAMBRECHT meteo and Ostfalia University allowed the Weather Backpack to be adapted to the specific needs of the INBW project. This collaboration facilitated the collection of essential data to model evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and surface runoff—key elements for efficient irrigation.

Technology Serving Sustainable Agriculture

This use case perfectly illustrates how technology can address today’s agricultural challenges. By combining precision, mobility, and connectivity, the Weather Backpack stands out as an essential tool for researchers and farmers looking to optimize their water management.