Soil moisture monitoring

Soil moisture monitoring is critical for managing water resources in an efficient manner. This applies to both irrigated and rainfed cropping systems. Water is increasingly becoming the most limiting resource needed to meet the food and fiber needs of a growing and more affluent population. Soil moisture monitoring can e.g. be used as a tool to assist irrigation scheduling. Irrigation management gives better crops, using fewer inputs, which increases profitability. Soil moisture sensors help with irrigation decisions.

Umweltbundesamt GmbH is a government owned company which acts as the national agency for environmental protection and environmental control. The main tasks of the Agency are:

- Assessment of the state of the environment and of its changes and trends

- Development of measures to avoid/reduce environmental impacts

- Planning and implementation of environmental policy decisions and enforcement of laws

- Analysis of environmental pollutants

- Environmental reporting (incl. GHG and AP)

The National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) was first established as the National Fruit and Vegetable Research and Development Centre (NFVRDC) with the assistance of UNDP/FAO Project NIR/72/007. By the Federal Government Agricultural Research Institutes Establishment Decree Order No. 35 of June 1975, the Centre metamorphosed into the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) along with other Agricultural Research Institutes. The Institute is under the coordination of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN).

IFDC, established in the USA in October 1974, is known for its expertise in soil fertility management, fertilizers and agriculture and agribusiness that service developing countries. In 1977 under the United States of America’s Presidential Executive Order No. 11977 of March 14, IFDC was declared as a public international organization (PIO).

Researchers at Purdue University have developed an instrument/software that allows remote sensing of surface soil moisture from an airborne instrument using reflective electromagnetic radiation. This can provide the most efficient method to collect measurements and survey an entire field with high spatial density in a short period of time. It makes use of lower-frequency signals which are required to penetrate the soil. Resolution is determined only by the frequency of the signal, under the assumption of a near-specular reflection, not the antenna size.

Background: Traditionally time-consuming lab-centered routines that are based on raster sampling and wet chemical analysis are utilized for a comprehensive physicochemical soil analysis. However these methods are time consuming and highly expensive and thus not practical nor convenient for the mapping of soil properties over large areas.

IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (Research Institute for Development) - is a research organization based in France that is working with its partners in the South to address international development issues. Improving health, understanding social changes, and protecting the environment are the main pillars of its work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). IRD work includes interdisciplinary scientific research, capacity building and nurturing innovation in more than fifty countries worldwide. 

Environmental conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and improving livelihoods of the most vulnerable people are the main focus areas of GERES. GERES is particularly involved in the implementation of engineering solutions for development and providing specific technical expertise. Energy efficiency programs, renewable energies and and local economic development are the main objectives of GERES.