ENHANCING WATER EFFICIENCY IN UAE DESERT AGRICULTURE USING IOT: A SUSTAINABLE CASE STUDY

Abstract

Water scarcity is among the most critical environmental issues affecting arid areas such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Effective water management is crucial to maintaining agricultural productivity in harsh desert climates. This study introduces Green Desert, a smart irrigation monitoring system based on the Internet of Things (IoT), developed to enhance water-use efficiency in desert farming. The system combines ultrasonic sensors, ESP32/ESP8266 microcontrollers, and cloud-based platforms to enable real-time monitoring of water levels in irrigation reservoirs. A wick-driven passive irrigation setup delivers water directly to plant roots, thereby improving efficiency and reducing evaporation losses. A pilot prototype, created by undergraduate computing students, was tested in a simulated desert setting. Experimental results indicated high measurement precision (average error ≈0.15 cm), rapid update times for monitoring (1–2 seconds), and dependable performance under environmental constraints. These findings indicate that the proposed system offers a cost-effective and scalable solution for promoting sustainable agriculture in arid regions. The Green Desert project underscores how IoT technologies can enhance water management and contribute to food security in desert contexts.