1. Concept of Urban Agriculture
In terms of location, urban agriculture is situated within or close to densely populated centers, typically in municipalities, towns, or cities.
In terms of scale, urban agriculture is generally small to medium-sized, utilizing spaces such as rooftops, balconies, vacant lots, parks, or repurposing containers for cultivation.
In terms of technology, urban agriculture employs high-tech methods and techniques such as hydroponics, aeroponics, the application of the Internet of Things (IoT), smart LED lighting, or smart greenhouse technologies.
The goal of urban agriculture is to provide a local source of fresh food (vegetables, meat, fish, etc.), reduce transportation costs, and prevent food degradation or spoilage due to inadequate transport conditions. Furthermore, urban agriculture also improves the urban landscape and environment, increases green spaces, saves energy for buildings, and strengthens community bonds.
Figure 1. Soil-based vegetable garden on an urban rooftop space.
Concept of Smart Agriculture
Smart agriculture is an agricultural production model that applies modern technology and data to enhance productivity and quality, reduce costs, and optimize the use of resources such as water, land, fertilizer, energy, etc.
The core of smart agriculture is the precise management of the following stages: measurement, analysis, and control.
The basic characteristics of smart agriculture include:
Application of IoT and sensors to monitor soil moisture, temperature, light, nutrients, etc., in real-time.
Automation of processes such as irrigation, fertilization, lighting, and harvesting.
Data forecasting and analysis based on the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data.
Precision agriculture: supplying the exact and sufficient amount of water, fertilizer, and pesticides to the correct crop at the right time and in the right location.
Sustainability: reducing resource wastage and negative environmental impacts.
Figure 2. Smart agriculture model.
Role of Smart Urban Agriculture
Smart urban agriculture plays a crucial role in urban life.
Ensuring local food security for urban residents with fresh, clean, and nutritious food sources right within the urban space.
Optimizing space and resources by using technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics in limited spaces like rooftops, balconies, and greenhouses. Drip irrigation systems help save up to 90% of water compared to traditional watering methods.
Reducing environmental impact by strengthening urban green spaces, and reusing household wastewater and organic waste as fertilizer, among other methods.
Enhancing the quality of agricultural products through the use of modern technologies for control and monitoring.
Creating economic and community opportunities by developing high-tech agricultural startups right within the urban environment.
Figure 3. Vertical Farm in smart urban agriculture.
Application of IoT and AI in Smart Urban Agriculture
The main components of IoT applied in smart urban agriculture include:
Sensor systems for temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, pH, nutrient concentration, carbon dioxide levels, light intensity, etc., which help in collecting input data.
Central control unit utilizing microcontrollers or PLCs to process data and send commands to the actuators.
Actuator devices such as irrigation pumps, solenoid valves, ventilation fans, LED lights, ultrasonic mist generators, etc.
- Connection platforms like Wi-Fi, LoRa, Zigbee, etc., to transmit data to smartphones or servers.
- Management software running on smartphones or the web to display data, issue warnings, and allow for remote control.
- The benefits of applying IoT in smart urban agriculture:
- Reduction of 30% to 50% in the amount of irrigation water and fertilizer.
- Significant decrease in monitoring and care labor costs.
- Uniform development and stable quality of crops and livestock.
- Mitigation of risks caused by adverse weather or pests and diseases.
- Suitability for urban spaces, where space is limited but superior productivity and quality are required.
- The applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in smart urban agriculture include:
- Crop monitoring and diagnosis: using computer vision models to identify pests and nutrient deficiencies by analyzing images of leaves, stems, flowers, etc., and suggesting treatment, such as supplementing fertilizer, spraying biological products, or adjusting lighting.
- Strict climate and environment management: data collected by sensors are analyzed by AI to automatically adjust the actuators for appropriate operation.
- Yield forecasting and planting planning: AI combines data on weather, seasons, crop varieties, care schedules, etc., to estimate optimal yield and harvesting time.
- Optimizing irrigation and nutrition: AI predicts water and fertilizer needs for each growth stage of the crop and for specific cultivated areas.
- Automated harvesting and sorting: AI robots identify ripe fruits for automated harvesting, or AI cameras sort produce by size, color, ripeness, etc., before packaging.
References
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2021). The Role of Digital Agriculture in Sustainable Urban Food Systems. Rome: FAO.
- Wolfert, S., Ge, L., Verdouw, C., & Bogaardt, M.-J. (2017). Big Data in Smart Farming – A review. Agricultural Systems, 153, 69–80.
- Zhang, Y., & Wang, L. (2020). IoT-based Smart Agriculture: Technologies, Applications, and Challenges. IEEE Access, 8, 142377–142390.
- Nguyen, T. P., & Le, D. H. (2022). Ứng dụng IoT trong nông nghiệp chính xác tại Việt Nam. Tạp chí Khoa học Công nghệ Nông nghiệp Việt Nam, 3(5), 45–52.
- Lee, J., Kim, S., & Park, J. (2021). Artificial Intelligence Applications in Smart Urban Agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 189, 106403.