The emerging field of smart agriculture leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) to revolutionize farming practices. This paper investigates the transformative potential of Long Range (LoRa) technology as a key enabler of long-range wireless communication for agricultural IoT systems. By reviewing existing literature, we identify a gap 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, covering network architecture design, Physical Layer (PHY) considerations tailored to the agricultural environment, and channel modeling techniques that account for soil characteristics. The paper 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 aspects, we discuss sensor deployment strategies and energy management techniques, offering insights for real-world deployments. A comparative analysis of LoRa with other wireless communication technologies employed in agricultural IoT applications highlights its strengths and weaknesses in this context. Furthermore, the paper outlines several future research directions to leverage the potential of LoRa-based agriculture 4.0. These include advancements in channel modeling for diverse farming environments, 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 guide researchers, technologists, and practitioners to understand, implement, and propel smart agriculture initiatives using LoRa technology.

翻译：新兴的智慧农业领域利用物联网技术革新农业实践。本文研究了远距离无线通信技术作为农业物联网系统关键使能者的变革潜力。通过回顾现有文献，我们发现目前缺乏专门从通信视角探讨LoRa在智慧农业中前景与挑战的研究。我们深入探讨了基于LoRa的农业网络细节，涵盖网络架构设计、针对农业环境定制的物理层考量，以及考虑土壤特性的信道建模技术。本文进一步探讨了中继与路由机制，以应对在广阔农业场景中扩展网络覆盖和优化数据传输的挑战。转向实践层面，我们讨论了传感器部署策略与能源管理技术，为实际部署提供见解。通过将LoRa与农业物联网应用中采用的其他无线通信技术进行对比分析，我们凸显了其在此背景下的优势与不足。此外，本文概述了若干未来研究方向，以充分发挥基于LoRa的农业4.0的潜力。这些方向包括：针对多样化耕作环境的信道建模进展、新型中继路由算法、集成高光谱成像和无人机传感等新兴传感器技术、设备端人工智能模型以及可持续解决方案。本综述可指导研究人员、技术专家和从业者理解、实施并推进基于LoRa技术的智慧农业计划。