IoT-Based Agricultural Innovations: Cost-Effective Platforms for Smallholder Farmers in Nepal and Lower- and Middle-Income Countries.

Abstract

This thesis investigates the design and implementation of a low-cost, reliable Internet of Things (IoT) platform tailored for smallholder farmers, with a particular emphasis on lower- and middle-income countries such as Nepal. The majority of farmers in Nepal belong to smallholder farming communities, working on small plots of land and often relying on traditional farming methods. These methods have become less efficient in today's agricultural landscape, highlighting the need for affordable and accessible IoT-based systems to enhance agricultural productivity. The problem analysis identifies the inefficiencies of traditional farming practices and the lack of suitable IoT solutions for smallholder farmers. This thesis proposes a novel IoT platform that is cost-effective, customizable, scalable, and reliable, addressing the unique challenges faced by smallholder farmers. The proposed platform enables farmers to monitor and control real-time sensor data related to their crops, livestock, and other agricultural assets using web and mobile-based applications. It integrates various sensors, microcontrollers, and communication modules to collect and transmit data to a cloud server. This data provides valuable insights that assist farmers in making informed decisions regarding irrigation, ventilation, and other environmental controls. Figures of merit for the platform include affordability, ease of use, scalability, and reliability. The platform's design ensures it can be widely adopted by smallholder farmers with limited financial resources. Comparative analysis with existing solutions demonstrates the proposed platform's superior cost-effectiveness and suitability for smallholder contexts. Experimental assessment involved deploying the IoT platform in polyhouses for off-season grafting of citrus fruits and in cold chambers for post-harvest storage.