Resources
Acclima Soil Sensor Project
In collaboration with the Precision Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
Soil sensor equipment has been installed at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Unit (SASU), including the Agroecology Education Farm, Agronomy Teaching Farm, and Beef Pasture Unit. This project aims to provide a teaching tool based on area-specific and real-time information that instructors use to teach students concepts and processes of water movement through a soil profile.
The information recorded by the sensors provided by PSA is Water Content (Percentage), Soil Temperature (Celsius), Permittivity (learn more here), Bulk Electrical Conductivity, and Pore Water EC.
With the help of the Precision Sustainable Agriculture lab, we have installed Acclima Inc. equipment throughout the SASU. We are using the Acclima True TDR-310H Soil Water Content Sensor with cylindrical form factor along with Acclima Nodes and Gateway Access.
Agroecology Education Farm iNaturalist
The NCSU Agroecology Education Farm iNaturalist Project documents the diversity of organisms found across AEF. By recording observations over time, the project helps track populations and biodiversity while creating a resource that can support farm management, research, classroom learning, and public engagement.
Crop Harvest App
The Agroecology Education Farm uses the Crop Harvest App to track all of the produce they harvest. This tool shows poundage data for all crops harvested since 2023. The app is designed to combine and visualize each year’s harvest log so that you can see crop distribution over time. Tracking production over time enables educated decision-making about crop rotation and planting practices. It also allows you, the user, to explore how AEF’s operation changes across seasons and over the years.
Use this link to visit the crop harvest app on the Agroecology Education Farm website.
If you have any questions about these resources or are interested in utilizing them, please contact Josalyn Williams, Agroecology Lab Coordinator. [email protected]