In Jordan, demonstrated the successful farmer use of low-cost, precision irrigation tool and human-machine interaction (HMI)
We showed the tool’s potential to use up to 44% less water compared to conventional practices
Research contributions
Showed participants responded correctly to 93% of irrigation events using tool and HMI
Observed that events most frequently fell within 15% of scheduled durations; tool enabled schedule-following over time
Demonstrated a low-cost way to realize precision irrigation by keeping farmers in the loop
Characterized existing and new features that participants found valuable
Measured similar water use to fully manual irrigation; expect future water savings (29–44% less water used)
Related publications
Van de Zande, G.D., Sheline, C., Pratt, S., and Winter V, A.G. “Design and User-Centered Field Evaluation of an Accessible Precision Irrigation Tool and its Human–Machine Interaction on a Jordanian Farm.” AgriEngineering, February 2026.
Sheline, C., Grant, F., Van de Zande, G.D., Pratt, S., Talozi, S., Namarneh, A., Mansouri, A., Wifaya, A., Nangia, V., Amrose, S., and Winter V, A.G. “Technical validation of the Predictive Optimal Water and Energy Irrigation (POWEIr) controller for solar-powered drip irrigation.” Smart Agricultural Technology, August 2026.
Van de Zande, G.D., Sheline, C., Pratt, S., and Winter V, A.G. “User-Centered Validation of an Automatic Scheduling-Manual Operation (AS-MO) Irrigation Tool: A Case Study in Jordan.” Proceedings of the ASME IDETC/CIE. Washington, D.C., USA. August 25–28, 2024. [PDF]
My prior research found that resource-constrained farmers could be served by a semi-manual/semi-automatic irrigation system that uses automatic scheduling of irrigation events with manual valve operation (AS-MO). This project tested a functional AS-MO tool prototype, asking:
How do an AS-MO tool and its HMI function, from human-centered and water-saving perspectives?
