Malaysian company Sustainable Hrvest, a pioneer of smart farming, has deployed LoRa-enabled sensors and LoRaWAN-based gateways across its durian fruit farms in Malaysia, with the help of semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service provider Semtech.
Durians are one of the country’s most popular fruits, but durian trees are challenging to grow and harvest. These plants are sensitive to weather and moisture conditions and need constant maintenance for high yield.
LoRa-enabled sensors now give Malaysian farmers real-time data on the health of their farms throughout every step of the growth cycle: pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest. This real-time visibility, says Semtech, has made farmers' lives easier while also helping to improve their bottom line.
Using LoRa as an IoT wireless platform, Semtech's LoRa chipsets connect sensors to the cloud and enable real-time communication of data and analytics. This instantaneous management helps to enhance the efficiency and productivity of sustainable IoT use cases – in this instance, fruit farming.
Currently, there are 30 LoRa-powered farms in Malaysia, with new plantations expected to go live in the coming 12 months. Designed by Sustainable Hrvest, the IoT nodes utilizing LoRaWAN implement LoRa’s low-power, long-range sensors and last more than four years in the field without needing replacement.
This purpose-built chip-to-cloud sensor platform monitors the flow rate and pressure of irrigation systems to maintain soil moisture levels. It also tracks the nutrients in the soil. The data-driven farming practice gives Malaysian farmers the ability to remotely care for their crops.
Globally, there are more than 300 million LoRa end nodes deployed across a wide array of customer applications – from agriculture and healthcare to industrial and transportation.
