Smart irrigation is gaining traction Water is becoming scarcer, climate conditions more unpredictable and the pressure to produce sustainably is increasing. Farmers are therefore actively looking for solutions that will help them irrigate more efficiently. The question often arises: which technology offers the most reliable support? Some farmers start with soil moisture sensors. Others use satellite imagery. More and more are discovering that the real power lies in the combination of both, supported by AI. Sensors: security in the root zone Soil moisture sensors provide direct measurements in the root zone, where water and nutrients are actually absorbed by the plant. They continuously measure soil moisture, EC and temperature, providing reliable insights 24/7. At the same time, farmers are asking logical questions: How many sensors do I need per plot? Where should I place them? A sensor measures locally, and farmers want to be sure that one measurement is representative of the entire field. Satellites: overview and scale That's why many farms also use satellites. NDVI and other indices give an instant picture of crop development and where variation occurs. The big advantage is that huge areas can be tracked at once, often with affordable or even free data. The limitation is that satellites look from above. They give an approximation of soil moisture conditions and crop development, but never measure directly into the root zone. Resolution is around 10×10 meters per pixel, and they depend on clear weather. Field reality Farmers often know their own plots well. On homogeneous land, one sensor may already be representative. But many farmers also work with leased land or plots with natural variation in soil type and moisture. In those cases, additional guidance is welcome. With the advent of drip irrigation, the need for variable irrigation is also growing. Putting a sensor in every irrigation block can quickly become too costly. Farmers are therefore looking for ways to combine technologies in a reliable and affordable way. Case study from the Netherlands After introducing our combined solution with sensors and satellite-based field maps, one of our customers in the Netherlands - a grower who already knew his field well - confirmed something he already suspected. A specific part of his plot was consistently lagging in yield. With Agurotech's solution, he saw that this area also showed systematically lower soil moisture levels, even after heavy rains. This insight made it clear that moisture stress was the cause of the lower yield and gave him a concrete starting point to take action. The power of the combination The solution is not to choose between sensors or satellites, but to combine their strengths and connect them through AI. - Sensors provide the ground truth with accurate, continuous measurements in the root zone. - Satellites provide the context with a broad view of variation within and between plots. - AI brings the data together by linking sensor measurements to satellite imagery and weather forecasts, creating models that are both precise and scalable. The result is practical advice that farmers can use immediately - from 10-day irrigation planning to fine-tuning drip irrigation. Why this accelerates adoption By complementing each other, sensors and satellites make the move to smart irrigation easier and more attractive. Farmers no longer have to choose between detail or overview - they get both. This approach lowers the barrier to entry because farmers can start small with a few sensors and supplement them with satellite data. It also increases confidence, because sensor data confirms what satellites show and vice versa. And it is scalable, because the investment can grow with you from one plot to an entire farm. Conclusion Agriculture is entering a new phase. Farmers are showing increasing interest in data-driven irrigation, and the questions they are asking are logical and valuable. They help improve the technology and make it more widely applicable. The future lies not in choosing between sensors or satellites, but in their combination. Sensors provide certainty, satellites provide overview, and AI translates this into action. This creates an irrigation strategy that is both reliable and scalable - exactly what farmers need to invest in the future with confidence. Want to see how the combination of sensors, satellites and AI can work on your farm? Explore Agurotech's solutions or contact us for more information.