# A Review of Practice and Implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) for Smallholder Agriculture
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Implementation Cases
_Borehole pump monitoring for small plot community farming in Turkana_  
Figure 7: Drip-irrigated vegetable cultivation at Napuu: Drip Irrigation Scheme in Lodwar, Kenya (left), and a SweetSense gateway mounted on solar PV panels that transmits solar irrigation pump usage data to an online server via cellular or satellite data (right). The IoT solution for the aquaponics system at Kikaboni Farm was developed by Upande, and it monitors water conditions (temperature and pH) in the fish tanks and environmental conditions (ambient temperature and relative humidity) in the hydroponic vegetable growing area (Figure 8). The sensors are battery-powered, charged by 3-10 W solar PV panels, and transmit measurements over a LoRa network to a gateway with a mobile data connection. Data are stored and processed on Upande servers and regularly fed back to the farm's horticulture manager who can perform necessary adjustments. For example, the cover material for the vegetable structure was changed after measurements showed that temperatures were far above the recommended growing temperatures for leafy green vegetables (Figure 8). One of the keys to success for this application is the ability of the horticulture manager to interpret the data, which has allowed them to make significant improvements to their product yield and quality. Kikaboni Farm has also collaborated on product development by providing a testbed for improvements to Upande Vipimo IoT products. A risk for this project is the reliance on the expertise and willingness of the horticulture manager. Water and greenhouse monitoring for aquaponics in Ololooitikosh  
With little vegetation in the Mara River watershed, rainy season precipitation causes rapid river level rise and destructive flooding (Figure 9). The IoT solution developed by Upande consists of solar-battery powered sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) level sensors at several points along the river, connected by LoRa to several grid-connected gateways with cellular access. In the event that the level sensors detect a rapid river level rise, an SMS-based system is activated, which alerts downstream farmers to pump water out of the river in order to open capacity to receive the upstream surge. One of the keys to the success of this system is the dedication of volunteers to coordinate activities, maintain the IoT system, and host workshops to engage the local communities. Some of the risks to the sustainability of this project are a lack of financial support, the rugged and remote conditions that the IoT must survive in, and the inconsistent support from the county government to allow the system to operate. Figure 8: **(top)** Upande Vipimo temperature and relative humidity sensor in the aquaponics greenhouse at Kikaboni Farm. **(bottom)** Lettuce plants growing in the aquaponics beds before **(left)** and after **(right)** improvements to the growing environment. Greenhouses offer the opportunity for small farmers to grow high-value vegetables throughout the year in a controlled environment. However, uncontrolled greenhouse conditions can be harsh and damaging to plants. Researchers at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology developed an IoT temperature, relative humidity, and soil moisture sensor coupled to an internet-connected gateway to assist farmers on their research farm (Figure 10) [34]. In this case, the system relies on the expertise of the farmers to interpret data and make the proper adjustments to the greenhouse. The farmers showed a high level of satisfaction with the system and reported that it had greatly improved productivity of tomatoes in their greenhouses. A key to the success of this project is the close connection and proximity between the IoT developers and the farmers, and the ability of the farmers to interpret the sensor measurements. This project is also equipping engineering students with the skills and experience needed to provide commercial IoT for agriculture solutions in Kenya [88].