= Afritic Open Farming Standard (AOFS) =

AOFS defines a trusted, production-grade architecture for autonomous farming systems, with a primary focus on irrigation, water management, and energy-constrained environments.

AOFS is not a device specification, not a gadget ecosystem, and not an AI platform. It defines how farm systems must be designed, operated, and supervised to remain safe, reliable, scalable, and auditable, especially in off-grid, weak-grid, and climate-stressed regions.

The standard is written and maintained as a DokuWiki-based technical specification, not as marketing documentation.

AOFS is intended for governments, NGOs, agricultural programs, and serious private operators building long-term agricultural infrastructure.

AOFS is based on the following non-negotiable principles:

• Local autonomy
  • All safety-critical logic executes locally
  • Farms must operate fully offline

• Fail-safe by design
  • Hardware and software protections prevent flooding, crop stress, and pump damage

• Separation of control and supervision
  • Control decisions happen locally
  • Remote systems only configure, monitor, analyze, and audit

• Offline-first, federated
  • Connectivity is optional
  • Synchronization never replaces local authority

• Scalable & modular
  • Same architecture applies from smallholder farms to large commercial operations

AOFS uses a decentralized, federated controller model inspired by distributed systems and enterprise network management architectures.

• Executes irrigation schedules and actuation
• Enforces all safety constraints
• Operates pumps, valves, and sensors
• Works fully offline
• Maintains complete local logs
• Is the sole authority for physical actuation

• Aggregates multiple Field Controllers
• Provides local dashboards for operators
• Coordinates configuration and reporting
• Syncs optionally with higher-level controllers
• Never bypasses Field Controller safety logic

• Read-only or supervisory by default
• Performs analytics, benchmarking, and reporting
• Used for auditing, training, and large-scale oversight
• Never directly controls actuators

Controllers may push, pull, or synchronize state when connectivity exists.

AOFS is modular by design.

• Crop irrigation (mandatory)

• Poultry farming
• Livestock / animal husbandry
• Veterinary records
• Hoof trimming and grooming
• Breeding management
• Greenhouse / hydroponics
• Energy monitoring
• Custom or research modules

All modules:

• Integrate with AOFS controllers
• Use standardized data models
• Operate offline-first
• May include optional analytics or AI (never mandatory)

• Soil monitoring
  • Moisture
  • Temperature
  • EC

• Weather monitoring
  • Rain
  • Temperature
  • Humidity
  • Wind

• Water monitoring
  • Flow
  • Pressure
  • Tank levels

• Power / energy monitoring (optional)

• Optical sensors
  • Still images only
  • No video streaming

Optical sensors are used for documentation and verification.

Typical capture schedules:

• Daily fixed-time image
• Before irrigation
• After irrigation

Purposes:

• Documentation
• HQ review
• Optional AI analysis interfaces

AI analysis is optional and never required for compliance.

• Pumps and valves are controlled by the Field Controller
• Safety is enforced using sensor feedback
• All actions are logged with timestamps and sensor context

Manual operation is a first-class, fully compliant AOFS mode.

If automation is unavailable:

• The system generates step-by-step operator instructions
• Instructions specify:
  • Which pump to switch
  • Which valve to open or close
  • When to perform each action

Operators must confirm each step.

Each confirmation is logged:

• Operator identity
• Action performed
• Timestamp
• Sensor context

Manual mode preserves full auditability and allows later transition to automation without data loss.

AOFS is power-source agnostic.

Supported power sources include:

• Grid
• Solar
• Generator
• Hybrid systems

Energy monitoring is optional and context-dependent.

When enabled, AOFS may:

• Track actuator energy consumption
• Estimate available energy for upcoming operations
• Prioritize, delay, or skip low-priority events
• Warn operators about insufficient energy
• Detect anomalies indicating mechanical issues

Generator operation may be:

• Automatic (relay, Modbus, CAN)
• Manual with explicit operator alerts

Manual generator operation is explicitly supported and fully compliant.

AOFS treats farms as data-driven operational and research environments.

Human operators log:

• Fertilizer application
• Veterinary actions
• Manual interventions
• Experiments and deviations

This enables:

• Controlled experiments
• Long-term optimization
• Farmer-owned operational data
• Evidence-based agricultural decisions

AOFS includes an optional Global Agricultural Knowledge Database (GAKD).

GAKD provides:

• Curated default parameters for crops and soils
• Region-aware operational recommendations
• Research-driven optimization guidance

Key characteristics:

• Offline-first and federated
• Sync via network or physical media (USB / SD)
• Optional, anonymized data contribution
• Contributors receive full access

AOFS documentation is organized using strict DokuWiki conventions.

Key namespaces include:

• principles:start
• terminology:start
• architecture:start
• hydraulics:start
• electrical:start
• actuation:start
• sensors:start
• data_model:start
• operations:start
• safety:start
• modules:start
• reference_implementations:start
• certification:start
• training:start
• change_log:start
• glossary:start

Rules:

• All pages use :start
• Two-space indentation for lists
• * bullets preferred
• Extensive cross-linking between pages

AOFS is developed collaboratively in a wiki.

Versioning model:

• Read-only snapshots for released versions
• Active development wiki for upcoming versions
• Certification tied to specific AOFS versions

AOFS is:

• Not a gadget standard
• Not a cloud-dependent system
• Not an AI hype platform

It is a serious systems engineering framework designed for:

• Public-sector agricultural programs
• Humanitarian and NGO deployments
• Climate resilience initiatives
• Long-term agricultural infrastructure

AOFS defines how autonomous farming systems should be built so they remain safe, operable, and effective even when power, connectivity, and conditions are unreliable.