An IoT-Based Autonomous Robot System for Maize Precision Agriculture Operations in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The importance of agriculture to the economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa suffers from several challenges. One major problem faced by the sector is the lack of suitable technology to optimise yield and profit to reduce the reliance of farmers on manual techniques of farming which is accompanied by drudgery, wastage, and low yields. Precision Agriculture has been applied to maximise agricultural outputs while minimising inputs. This study presents the design of an Internet of Things (IoT) based autonomous robot system that can be used for precision agricultural operations in maize crop production. The robot consists of a camera for remotely monitoring of the environment and a tank incorporated with a liquid level sensor which can be used for irrigation and herbicide application. The real-time feed from the camera as well as the output from the liquid level sensor is accessed from a cloud database via a web application. This system can be adopted for improved crop production which in turn will increase crop yield, profit, and revenue generated from agriculture.