Solar-powered soil moisture irrigation system (Arduino/ESP32) for dry regions of Kenya - includes an offline WiFi dashboard, a grain/fodder storage humidity monitor and a Flask+SQLite backend for historical data and trend predictions.
# Solar-Powered Soil Moisture Irrigation System
An engineering project by a 4th year student at Murang'a University of
Technology, building a low-cost, solar-powered irrigation system for dry
regions of Kenya, with an offline web dashboard and a companion grain/fodder
storage monitor. This project is being developed with an eye toward
expansion into a future final year project.
## Problem
Dry regions of Kenya (target deployment: Mbeere, Embu County) face both
crop-watering scarcity and post-harvest storage losses. This project
addresses both with one shared sense-decide-act architecture.
## Components
- **/Solar-soil-irrigation/arduino** - Arduino Uno version: soil moisture sensor -> relay -> water pump
- **/Solar-soil-irrigation/esp32** - ESP32 version: same logic, plus an offline WiFi dashboard
(no internet required - connects directly to the device's own network)
- **/Solar-soil-irrigation/storage-monitor** - Adapts the same architecture to monitor grain/fodder
storage humidity, triggering a ventilation fan to reduce mold/aflatoxin risk
- **/Solar-soil-irrigation/backend** - Flask + SQLite server for historical data logging and a
simple trend-based prediction of when the next watering will be needed
## Hardware
- Arduino Uno or ESP32
- Resistive soil moisture sensor
- 5V relay module
- Mini submersible DC pump (3-6V)
- 6V solar panel, TP4056 charge controller, 18650 Li-ion battery, boost converter
## Status
Prototype phase - tested in Tinkercad (Arduino) and Wokwi (ESP32).
Physical hardware build in progress.
## Author
Brian Gitau - Electrical/Electronics Engineering Student, 4th Year,
Murang'a University of Technology