Open fields technology
The biggest acreage, the least information. Measure the field and it stops being one thing.
Open fields are where most Kenyan food is grown and where decisions are made on the least data: one soil sample, the town forecast, and a walk along the edge.
About open fields farming
An open field faces the full weather — rain that stops at a ridge, wind that ruins a spray, dry spells that land at flowering. Its soil varies across the field, from rich old boma sites to eroded slopes.
Open-field technology is about seeing that variation and responding to it: mapping the ground, measuring the root zone and the local weather, irrigating to need where there is water, and looking at the crop from above and below.
The technology stack
Open fields technology, layer by layer
Know the ground
- NPK, pH and EC mappingFarm-wide maps that split the field into management blocks.
- Solar soil probesMoisture, temperature, nutrients and salinity at root depth, reporting every 30 minutes.
Know the weather
- On-farm weather mastRain, wind, temperature, humidity and light, with a 4G uplink for the whole fleet.
- Area mapNeighbouring farms that share build a live local weather picture.
Act on it
- Irrigation automationDrip, sprinkler or pivot zones driven by soil moisture, with fail-shut valves.
- Solar pumpingIrrigating without a diesel bill.
- Monitoring, sprayer and ground dronesSee the field from above, confirm from the ground, treat only the patches that need it.
Target ranges
The numbers we keep open fields inside
General ranges. Your crop, variety, altitude and agronomist set the final values.
| Factor | Target | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture | crop-specific band | Defaults: dry below 30 %, wet above 70 %, set per soil |
| Soil pH (most field crops) | 5.8–7.0 | Lime where the map shows it pays |
| Planting soil temperature (maize) | above ~10 °C, better 16–18 °C | — |
| Spray wind speed | light, steady wind | Follow the product label |
Questions
Open fields: FAQ
Is it worth it on a rain-fed farm?
Soil mapping and a weather station pay back on rain-fed farms through better fertiliser and lime decisions and better-timed spraying. Irrigation automation needs water to automate.
How far can sensors be from the gateway?
Nodes report over the farm Wi-Fi from the mast, and a node out of range can relay through a neighbouring one. Very large farms use more than one mast.
Other farming environments
Start with a walk around your farm.
The first conversation is a site visit: we walk the farm with you and understand what you grow or keep and what is going wrong. No cost, no commitment. Buy outright, lease, or pay as you go by M-Pesa.