LoRa Communication for Agriculture 4.0: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions

The emerging field of smart agriculture leverages the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) to revolutionize farming practices. This article investigates the transformative potential of long range (LoRa) technology as a key enabler of long-range wireless communication for agricultural IoT systems. By critically reviewing existing literature, we identify a lacuna in research specifically focused on LoRa's prospects and challenges from a communication perspective in smart agriculture. We delve into the details of LoRa-based agricultural networks, encompassing network architecture design, physical layer (PHY) considerations tailored to the agricultural environment, and the development of channel modeling techniques that account for unique soil characteristics. This article further explores relaying and routing mechanisms that address the challenges of extending network coverage and optimizing data transmission in vast agricultural landscapes. Transitioning to practical considerations, we discuss sensor deployment strategies and energy management techniques, providing valuable insights for real-world deployments. A comparative analysis of LoRa with other prevalent wireless communication technologies employed in agricultural IoT applications highlights its strengths and weaknesses within this specific context. Furthermore, this article outlines several future research directions to leverage the potential of LoRa-based agriculture 4.0. These include advancements in channel modeling for heterogeneous farming environments, developing novel relay routing algorithms, integrating emerging sensor technologies like hyper-spectral imaging and drone-based sensing, on-device artificial intelligence (AI) models, and sustainable solutions. This survey can serve as a cornerstone for researchers, technologists, and practitioners seeking to understand, implement, and propel smart agriculture initiatives utilizing LoRa technology.