Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security

The rapid growth of the global population and the continuous decline in cultivable land pose significant threats to food security. This challenge worsens as climate change further reduces the availability of farmland. Soilless agriculture, such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, offers a su...

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Main Authors: Monica Dutta, Deepali Gupta, Sumegh Tharewal, Deepam Goyal, Jasminder Kaur Sandhu, Manjit Kaur, Ahmad Ali Alzubi, Jazem Mutared Alanazi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10879001/
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author Monica Dutta
Deepali Gupta
Sumegh Tharewal
Deepam Goyal
Jasminder Kaur Sandhu
Manjit Kaur
Ahmad Ali Alzubi
Jazem Mutared Alanazi
author_facet Monica Dutta
Deepali Gupta
Sumegh Tharewal
Deepam Goyal
Jasminder Kaur Sandhu
Manjit Kaur
Ahmad Ali Alzubi
Jazem Mutared Alanazi
author_sort Monica Dutta
collection DOAJ
description The rapid growth of the global population and the continuous decline in cultivable land pose significant threats to food security. This challenge worsens as climate change further reduces the availability of farmland. Soilless agriculture, such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, offers a sustainable solution by enabling efficient crop cultivation in controlled environments. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) with smart precision farming improves resource efficiency, automates environmental control, and ensures stable and high-yield crop production. IoT-enabled smart farming systems utilize real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and automation to optimize water and nutrient usage while minimizing human intervention. This paper aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of IoT-based soilless farming. It also highlights its role in sustainable agriculture, urban farming, and global food security. These advanced farming methods ensure greater productivity, resource conservation, and year-round cultivation. However, these methods also face challenges such as high initial investment, technological dependency, and energy consumption. Through a comprehensive study, bibliometric analysis, and comparative analysis, this research highlights current trends and research gaps. It also outlines future directions for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to drive innovation and scalability in IoT-driven soilless agriculture. By highlighting the benefits of vertical farming and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)-enabled soilless techniques, this paper supports informed decision-making to address food security challenges and promote sustainable agricultural innovations.
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spelling doaj-art-7b7ecf49cdf247e2b1b7abd9151b33f22025-08-20T02:01:24ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113342383426810.1109/ACCESS.2025.354031710879001Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food SecurityMonica Dutta0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6235-9794Deepali Gupta1Sumegh Tharewal2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5130-7358Deepam Goyal3Jasminder Kaur Sandhu4Manjit Kaur5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6259-2046Ahmad Ali Alzubi6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8477-8319Jazem Mutared Alanazi7Chitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, IndiaChitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, IndiaFaculty of Engineering, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Unibz), Bolzano, ItalyChitkara University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, IndiaSchool of Computer Science and Engineering, IILM University, Greater Noida, IndiaSchool of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, SR University, Warangal, Telangana, IndiaDepartment of Computer Science, Community College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Computer Science, Community College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaThe rapid growth of the global population and the continuous decline in cultivable land pose significant threats to food security. This challenge worsens as climate change further reduces the availability of farmland. Soilless agriculture, such as hydroponics, aeroponics, and aquaponics, offers a sustainable solution by enabling efficient crop cultivation in controlled environments. The integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) with smart precision farming improves resource efficiency, automates environmental control, and ensures stable and high-yield crop production. IoT-enabled smart farming systems utilize real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and automation to optimize water and nutrient usage while minimizing human intervention. This paper aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of IoT-based soilless farming. It also highlights its role in sustainable agriculture, urban farming, and global food security. These advanced farming methods ensure greater productivity, resource conservation, and year-round cultivation. However, these methods also face challenges such as high initial investment, technological dependency, and energy consumption. Through a comprehensive study, bibliometric analysis, and comparative analysis, this research highlights current trends and research gaps. It also outlines future directions for researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to drive innovation and scalability in IoT-driven soilless agriculture. By highlighting the benefits of vertical farming and Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)-enabled soilless techniques, this paper supports informed decision-making to address food security challenges and promote sustainable agricultural innovations.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10879001/Soilless cultivationsmart farmingurban agriculturesmart precision farmingfood securityInternet of Things (IoT)
spellingShingle Monica Dutta
Deepali Gupta
Sumegh Tharewal
Deepam Goyal
Jasminder Kaur Sandhu
Manjit Kaur
Ahmad Ali Alzubi
Jazem Mutared Alanazi
Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
IEEE Access
Soilless cultivation
smart farming
urban agriculture
smart precision farming
food security
Internet of Things (IoT)
title Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
title_full Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
title_fullStr Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
title_full_unstemmed Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
title_short Internet of Things-Based Smart Precision Farming in Soilless Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Food Security
title_sort internet of things based smart precision farming in soilless agriculture opportunities and challenges for global food security
topic Soilless cultivation
smart farming
urban agriculture
smart precision farming
food security
Internet of Things (IoT)
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10879001/
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