Economical Smartphone-Integrated and Automated High Tunnel Greenhouse System on the Navajo Nation

Abstract

The Navajo Nation has a lack of access to nutritious and fresh produce-based food. High tunnel greenhouses have become more popular for leafy greens and other fresh produce. However, it can be challenging and time-consuming to produce crops without environmental controls for optimal crop quality and yield. This project demonstrated an economical smart-phone integrated and environmentally controlled greenhouse system to improve greenhouse management, therefore making a high tunnel greenhouse on the Navajo Nation more data accessible, productive, and engaging for the user. This was done by controlling the air temperature in the aerial environment and irrigation with a sensor-based feedback control using low-cost microcontrollers, radio transmission, and Wi-Fi, and by providing the owner via smartphone with greenhouse environmental data and notifications. The system was able to keep the greenhouse within 11 K of the outside temperature, and was an improvement over natural ventilation in providing a more favorable environment for crop production, especially during periods of low wind.