Clemence Uwamutarambirwa, a 24-year-old Rwandan lady has developed a mobile phone application set to enhance potato production in the country.
The Smart Potato Greenhouse Technology (SPGT) app that uses sensors to monitor soil quality and temperature and can automate irrigation is currently being used to detect levels of temperature and humidity of potatoes in greenhouses in Musanze District, southern province of Rwanda.
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“This technology helps our farmers and greenhouse managers to monitor soil quality, humidity, temperature and automate the irrigation process, but it also improves the security systems using different sensors,” said Uwamutarambirwa.
With one district covered, the App is expected to be scaled up to other districts later in the year as its success will attract farmers in other parts of the country.
The invention is now considered to as a significant solution to hunger and nutrition challenges in the country where 65 per cent of its households engage in agriculture activities such as crop production or animal husbandry.
Internet of Things (IoTs) training
Ms Uwamutarambirwa developed the SPGT app after undertaking a six-month training in “Internet of Things” (IoTs) at the Catholic University of Rwanda (CUR) in the country’s Huye and Gisagara Districts.
She was among the 25 trainees who benefited from the joint youth training programme organized by UN Women Rwanda in collaboration with the Catholic University of Rwanda funded by Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to support women and girls in creating job opportunities.
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How SPGT App works
According to the young tech savvy woman, SPGT App consists of two parts where the first part deals with interconnected sensors such as a moisture sensor to monitor the soil quality, a humidity sensor to monitor the humidity of potatoes, and a smart irrigation sensor to pump water to the greenhouse.
The second part deals with data transmission. It sends notifications, alerts, and other remote monitoring information to the mobile phones of greenhouse managers.
“The sensors capture pertinent data and send notifications and alerts to greenhouse managers through a cloud platform,” said Uwamutarambirwa.
The App also improves security systems, using sound and motion sensors and automated digital cameras to monitor attempts at stealing devices from a greenhouse. These sensors automatically detect theft attempts, take and transmit pictures to the mobile phones of greenhouse managers.
Assisting potato farmers
Uwamutarambirwa says she developed the App to assist farmers in tackling food insecurity and fostering agricultural sustainability, adding that smart automatic irrigation contributes to climate resilience.
“I developed SPGT to assist farmers in tackling food insecurity and fostering agricultural sustainability, adding that smart automatic irrigation contributes to climate resilience,” said Uwamutarambirwa.
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Currently, she works with Seed Potato Fund (SPF-Ikigega), a professional seed trader serving local communities to ensure stable and real-time availability and accessibility of quality potato seeds to farmers through smart agriculture practices like seed multipliers, storage, handling, and marketing potato seeds.
According to Evariste Nsabimana, a technician with the SPF-Ikigega, the technology helps their farmers and greenhouse managers to monitor soil quality, humidity, temperature and automate the irrigation process.
“Our farmers have also been able to manage their farm security issues as the technology also improves the security systems using different sensors,” said Nsabimana.
Future of IoT in agriculture
The young inventor believes that IoTs, which is the technology that enables inert objects to be embedded with sensors and software and networked for the purpose of exchanging data, will immensely benefit the agricultural sector, particularly the food safety domain.
“Its exponential growth and popularity make it a key source of agriculture-related data. In the future, IoT applications could support precision agriculture, food production, processing, storage, distribution, consumption, traceability, visibility, and controllability challenges,” she said.
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The IoT could also help achieve hydroculture, which is growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in aqueous solvents; and horticulture, which is cultivating garden crops.
