IoT-Based Monitoring and Automatic Fertilizer for Olmetie Lettuce Growth in Greenhouse Environments

The agricultural sector in the Philippines confronts the challenges of enhancing productivity and optimising the use of scarce resources. This study examines the implementation of Agriculture 4.0 technologies, particularly IoT-driven systems, in greenhouse farming, with a focus on cultivating Olmetie Lettuce within a community context. The project focuses on automating a fertiliser sprinkler system designed explicitly for Olmetie Lettuce, utilising IoT technology to monitor and control environmental conditions in real-time. A network of sensors and actuators is employed to collect essential data on greenhouse temperature, humidity, soil moisture and temperature, light intensity, and soil NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) levels. The system enables farmers to make informed decisions tailored to specific crops, thereby optimizing fertilization and resource utilization. The system optimises environmental and nutrient conditions according to the plant's requirements, thereby minimising waste, enhancing crop quality, and increasing farming efficiency. The system is implemented in Kopia-Sipag Farmers’ Village, Barangay Kulapi, Lucban, and incorporates a mobile application for environmental regulation alongside an Arduino Mega 2560 R3 microcontroller to automate fertiliser dispensing. This setup supports precision agriculture, aiming to minimize the environmental impact of greenhouse farming while enhancing productivity and sustainability. Community participants expressed a significant readiness and awareness to adopt these technologies, evidenced by an overall weighted mean of 3.40. The highest support was observed in the domain of greenhouse technology perception, reflected by a score of 4.40, suggesting significant potential for successful adoption and enduring impact.