Automated Nutrient Management and Growth Monitoring in Urban Farming using a Low-Cost ESP32 IoT Platform

More people moving to cities brings big problems for old style farming. It calls for new ways to grow food right where folks live. Growing plants without soil, like in hydroponics, looks like a good option. Adding tech makes it even better. This work shows how we built a cheap setup that can grow bigger. It uses the Internet of Things for handling nutrients on its own and checking plant growth all the time in city hydroponic setups. We based the whole thing on an ESP32 chip that saves energy. It acts as a smart spot on the edge. The chip grabs info from sensors that measure pH, heat, and nutrient amounts. It runs a loop to control things right away without help. It also sends data up to a cloud system for keeping records and looking it over. Spreading things out like this cuts costs and uses less power than setups with full computer boards. We made a phone app too. It lets users see health stats for plants from far away. They get warnings when needed. This makes exact farming easier to reach. Our setup proves it works well and does not cost much. It helps city growers and home users. Automated hydroponics gets simpler this way. It aids steady food making in busy places.