Skip to main content
Learn · Soil & Agriculture

Farming with Data

How sensor readings can support better agricultural decisions — and what that means for Nepal

Grades 9–10 45 min analysis live IESH data

Students use soil data to simulate agricultural decision-making, explore the concept of precision agriculture, and assess whether data-driven farming is accessible and appropriate for Nepal's smallholder context.

Learning objectives

  • Interpret soil sensor readings to make an irrigation scheduling recommendation.
  • Define precision agriculture and evaluate its potential benefits and limitations.
  • Analyse the economic argument for sensor-based farming on a smallholder scale.
  • Assess barriers to technology adoption in rural Nepal and propose realistic solutions.

Background

Precision agriculture uses sensors, GPS and data analysis to manage crops at fine spatial and temporal scales — adjusting irrigation, fertiliser and pesticide applications exactly where and when they are needed, rather than applying uniform treatments to entire fields. Originally developed for large-scale mechanised farms in the USA and Australia, it is now being adapted for smallholder contexts in South and Southeast Asia.

The core economic argument is simple: over-irrigation wastes water and the labour to apply it; under-irrigation reduces yield. A sensor that tells you precisely when and how much to water can increase water-use efficiency by 20–40% while maintaining or improving yields. In a country like Nepal where water is seasonally scarce and irrigation infrastructure is expensive to build, these efficiency gains have direct economic value.

However, technology adoption in farming is not just about the technology. It requires that farmers trust the new tool, can afford it, can maintain it, and can interpret its outputs in the context of their own deep knowledge of their land and crops. A sensor that shows "35% moisture" means nothing to a farmer who has never used the concept of percentage moisture — but the same information can be presented as a visual bar that maps directly to what the farmer already knows about soil feel.

Procedure

  1. Read current soil moisture: ___ %. Read current soil temperature: ___ °C.
  2. Use the decision table: if soil moisture < 30%: irrigate immediately; if 30–50%: irrigate within 24 hours; if 50–70%: monitor; if > 70%: no irrigation needed.
  3. Based on the current reading, what irrigation action would you recommend? Justify this with reference to the sensor value.
  4. Scenario: a farmer has 1,000 litres of water available. Their 200 m² plot needs to go from 25% to 55% moisture. Each 10% increase requires approximately 20 litres per m². Calculate whether the farmer has enough water for one full application.
  5. Group discussion: a low-cost soil moisture sensor costs approximately NPR 3,000. If it saves one unnecessary irrigation (estimated cost: NPR 800 in water and labour) per month, how many months to break even? What other factors would you consider?
  6. Write a 150-word recommendation to a rural farming cooperative explaining in plain language whether they should invest in soil sensors for their shared fields.

Discussion

  1. What might a farmer who has farmed the same land for 30 years know about their soil that no sensor can measure?
  2. Is precision agriculture appropriate for all types of Nepali farming? What types of farms or crops would benefit most?
  3. What would need to change in Nepal's agricultural system to make sensor-based farming accessible to farmers who cannot read or do not have smartphones?

Worksheet

1. Based on today's soil moisture reading, state your irrigation recommendation and justify it in two sentences. [3 marks]

Answer guide (for teachers)

Accept any recommendation consistent with the decision table and the actual reading. Justification should reference the specific moisture value and the threshold.

2. Calculate whether 1,000 litres is sufficient to raise a 200 m² plot from 25% to 55% moisture. Show your working. [5 marks]

Answer guide (for teachers)

30% increase needed. 20 litres per m² per 10% = 60 litres per m² total. 200 m² × 60 litres/m² = 12,000 litres required. 1,000 litres is NOT sufficient — covers only about 8% of the area. Full marks for correct calculation and correct conclusion.

3. Identify TWO barriers to sensor adoption for smallholder farmers in remote hill districts of Nepal. For each barrier, suggest a realistic solution. [6 marks]

Answer guide (for teachers)

Barriers: cost; lack of connectivity; literacy/training; power supply; language; cultural trust; lack of maintenance support. Solutions should be realistic given Nepal's context — e.g. cooperative ownership, visual displays, solar power, local language interfaces, farmer training programs.

Vocabulary

Precision Agriculture
The use of sensors, data and technology to manage crops at fine scales, applying inputs only where and when they are needed.
Irrigation Scheduling
Deciding when and how much to water based on crop needs and soil moisture conditions.
Water-Use Efficiency
The amount of crop produced per unit of water used — higher efficiency means less water is wasted.
Technology Adoption
The process by which a community integrates a new tool or method into its practice, involving trust, training, cost and cultural fit.

Extension

Research one real Nepali NGO or government programme working on smart agriculture or sensor-based farming. Write a one-page evaluation: what are they doing, who benefits, what are the limitations of their approach, and what would you recommend they change?

← Soil & Agriculture