IoT-edge Computing enabled Secure and Intelligent Fertilizer Management Framework using Blockchain and Transformer Neural Network

Abstract

Modern precision agriculture depends on safe and effective fertilizer management. However, existing systems lack real-time decision-making capabilities, rarely incorporate secure traceability methods, and mainly concentrate on nutrient prediction without determining the type of soil fertilizer utilized for a specific crop. To classify fertilizer types (organic vs. inorganic) in real-time based on soil nutrient parameters (temperature, pH, EC, N, P, and K), this investigation suggests an innovative, lightweight self-attention transformer neural network (TNN) based Fertilizer class contract network (FCCN) model. The proposed research is one of the first to combine secure blockchain recording, fertigation, and fertilizer-type detection into a single edge-based pipeline that operates in real time. The process integrates blockchain-based transaction logging and IoT-edge computing for recording transparent and secure agricultural activity. Whenever deficits emerge, the suggested method uses Venturi irrigation to automatically activate fertigation after processing real-time sensor data at the edge to determine the types of fertilizer utilized and the nutritional status. This work uses a decentralized and scalable architecture compared to cloud-dependent or AI-based-only models. Fertilizer classification and fertigation actions based on the real-time nutrient level recommendation are recorded as immutable transactions on an Ethereum blockchain using a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus. Before the final on-chain recording, validator logic confirms the accuracy of field data, fertigation events, and real-time soil nutrient levels. Real-time blockchain measurements reveal transaction completion speeds of less than 0.03 seconds, gas consumption of less than 62,000 units, and throughput of 15-35. Experimental findings show that FCCN categorization accuracy surpasses 98.85%.