Simplifying Farming: The Role of GrowSphere™ in Precision Irrigation
In the picturesque town of Pedregulho, nestled in the heart of São Paulo, Brazil, William Ferreira is writing a new chapter in the world of coffee farming. As the Manager of the Santa Maria and Jatobá Farms, part of the AGAM Group, William is on a mission to elevate coffee cultivation to new heights. His secret weapon? Netafim's cutting-edge GrowSphere™, the world's first operating system (OS) for precision irrigation and fertigation.
Why does irrigation require an operating system?
In today's tech-driven world, operating systems are everywhere, from our computers and smartphones to our smart homes and cars. Their primary role is to simplify complex tasks. When it comes to irrigation and fertigation, GrowSphere™ OS takes the same approach. It serves as an intuitive, all-in-one irrigation operating system, empowering farmers to streamline their irrigation and fertigation processes, from planning and execution to control and monitoring, all within a single platform. Instead of juggling multiple systems for crop monitoring, analysis, and control, GrowSphere™ users can effortlessly integrate hydraulic, agronomic, and operational data, ensuring seamless coordination and optimal performance.
In my role as the Head of Technology & Crops at Netafim, I regularly engage with numerous growers and gain insights into the various challenges they encounter while striving for optimal irrigation outcomes. However, when I delve into their daily operations, I often discover that their concerns can be distilled into a core set of fundamental questions: Am I over or under fertigating? How can I avoid crop damage caused by falling valve opening? Is my water pressure too high?
GrowSphere™ effectively addresses these questions (and many others), empowering farmers to enhance their productivity and profitability. Instead of embarking on a time-consuming two-hour drive to inspect and fine-tune irrigation status in a remote field on their farm, farmers can conveniently monitor, analyze, and manage irrigation using their tablet or mobile phone.
So how does it work?
GrowSphere™ provides farmers, agronomists, and farm managers with a user-friendly dashboard, allowing them to access and manage all the information necessary to optimize their operations and efficiently run the farm.
They can get a real time irrigation overview of their entire farm by crop and plot, manage irrigation programs and shifts and receive alerts and notifications about their irrigation execution. They can monitor in-field irrigation status and crop stress, based on soil, weather and plant sensors and they can also build and adjust farm irrigation strategy and schedules. On top of all these benefit, they can generate reports to track crop performance and enhance irrigation plans with crop advisor recommendations tailored to crop stage.
“The biggest benefit of GrowSphere™ is that it is easy-to-operate and reliable. At the end of day, for me, it's all about knowing that my irrigation needs are met, and my crops are protected, so I can maximize profits from my most precious asset; our farm.”
Managing irrigation and fertigation across multiple plots, varying weather, soil, and crop conditions can be complex and time-consuming. GrowSphere™ is designed to simplify the process. It seamlessly connects your controller, to your sensors, to the cloud, to your smartphone. Easy, simple and reliable.
Ever since he started using GrowSphere™, William has witnessed a significant increase in efficiency across his farming operation. The technology has provided vital data to make informed decisions, reducing water consumption, improving fertilizer application, saving energy, and optimizing time.
When digital innovation meets farming
Working closely with Netafim for many years, William and his team have always been eager to test new concepts and become early adopters of technology. Their journey with GrowSphere™ has been transformative.
Picture a future where every drop of water, every irrigation decision is empowered by technology, where you can prevent crop damage from under/over irrigation or fertigation, and where every irrigation decision is backed by real time data. A world, where farmers, agronomists and farm managers don’t have to count on jumbles of scarce information, and purely gut-based decision-making. The truth is, you don't need to fantasize about this far-fetched future because it's already here. With digital technologies like GrowSphere™, all participants in the farming ecosystem can benefit from a world of possibilities, including improving yields, reducing waste, and maximizing profits.
William and many other farmers around the world are already getting their irrigation and fertigation done right, every day, and enjoying the certainty and peace of mind that comes when using GrowSphere™. What about you?