Introduction
According to two surveys conducted by Coldiretti, immediately after the lockdown, a new trend has emerged among Italians: growing fruits and vegetables in their own gardens, terraces or urban vegetable gardens provided by municipalities. This trend perhaps stems from the desire to spend as much time as possible outdoors, especially after the long weeks spent cooped up indoors. The survey reveals that about 44 percent of Italian citizens prefer to take advantage of green space to secure healthy food.
It is as a result of this new trend that municipalities have begun to provide unused green spaces. According to ISTAT data, there has been a growth of 18.5 percent in five years, exceeding 2.1 million square meters in 2019 of green space used for urban gardens. Each administration applies different criteria and parameters for the concession. Another significant fact is that while previously the main users of these spaces were the elderly, currently this practice is also spreading among young people and especially those who perhaps do not have much knowledge about cultivation techniques.
And it is precisely as a result of this lack that at the same time there is a growing demand for accessible technological tools that can thus help hobbyists and small growers optimize the care of their plants.
Agrumino Orange device
Within this context is our Agrumino Orange, designed to be user-friendly and versatile. A solution that allows continuous monitoring of soil conditions, recording in real time certain data such as: brightness, temperature and moisture.
Features of Agrumino
- Soil Moisture Sensor: Measures soil moisture, helping growers determine when to irrigate. This feature is useful for preventing over- or under-watering.
- Temperature Sensor: Monitors ambient and soil temperature. Crucial information for plants that are sensitive to temperature changes and require specific conditions to grow optimally.
- Brightness Sensor: Detects light levels, allowing you to assess whether plants are receiving adequate amounts of sunlight. Essential for indoor plants or in areas with limited sun exposure.
- Connectivity: Agrumino can be connected to a Wi-Fi network, allowing data collected to be transmitted to a platform and also visible remotely in the app with your smartphone.
- User-Friendly Interface: The device is designed to be easy to use, with a clear interface that makes data accessible even to novice users.
Benefits of Agrumino for Hobbyists and Small Farmers
The various benefits of using our device include: irrigation optimization, sustainability and savings, easy and accurate monitoring, and educational support.
The main concerns of hobbyists or small growers definitely include never knowing when to water or perhaps being afraid of giving too much water. With our device, it is possible to pinpoint the right time, as it gives us exactly the percentage of moisture in the soil, thus greatly reducing the risk of incorrect watering.
The Agrumino device allows us to monitor the health of the plant in real time through the use of an application in which the values for the parameters of brightness, temperature and humidity are reported. Data can also be accessed remotely.
By being able to use accurate data Agrumino is able to reduce the consumption of natural resources such as water and energy, thus creating a positive impact on the environment. It also reduces the costs associated with cultivation, a key issue for small farmers with limited budgets.
An example of this saving of both energy and water can be found in our SPRITZ project.
