Smart Agriculture Solution Based on IoT and TVWS for Arid Regions of the Central African Republic

The Central African Republic is threatened by desertification. Its economy is mainly dependent on agriculture. However, in arid zones where rainfall is low, environmental factors have made it difficult to develop sustainable agriculture. The collapse of the level of agricultural production makes populations vulnerable to food insecurity. Today, there are several innovative solutions to monitor and automate field irrigation in these arid and semi-arid regions. This paper proposes a system for monitoring and automatic irrigation of fields in these areas. The proposed solution is based on the Internet of Things (IoT) using a raspberry pi 3 b + with temperature and soil moisture sensors, a submersible water pump and a relay. The system uses a TVWS network that offers broadband Internet to farmers allowing them to connect their smartphones via Wi-Fi. These farmers use a web interface to access the field temperature and soil moisture monitoring screen and then remotely activate or deactivate the irrigation system, although this can also be done automatically. The results of this experiment allow the implementation of an automatic irrigation system in arid and semi-arid regions with low rainfall. This solution would strengthen the Central African Republic's economy and help develop sustainable agriculture to meet the urgent needs of the population threatened by famine.