Browsing by Author "Blessed Rolland"

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    Case study: A sensor-controlled smart irrigation system for sustainable agricultural productivity in mid-western Uganda
    (Uganda Christian University, 2026-04-19) Blessed Rolland; Musinguzi Dickson; Nsajuli Aaron Mwesigwa
    Agriculture remains a critical pillar of Uganda’s economy, yet its productivity is significantly constrained by inefficient irrigation practices and increasing climate variability. This project presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a sensor-controlled smart irrigation system aimed at improving water-use efficiency and supporting sustainable agricultural productivity in mid-western Uganda. The system leverages an ESP32 microcontroller integrated with capacitive soil moisture sensors and a water level sensor to enable real-time monitoring of field conditions and automated irrigation control. A multi-layered architecture comprising sensing, processing, actuation, and monitoring components was developed. The system incorporates a relay-controlled water pump and solenoid valves for irrigation, a Django-based web application for real-time monitoring and analytics, and a GSM module for SMS-based alerts to ensure accessibility in low-connectivity environments. The firmware was developed using MicroPython, while the backend utilized PostgreSQL for data storage and management. Performance evaluation was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. Results indicated that the soil moisture sensors achieved an accuracy of 2.8% root mean square error (RMSE), while the water level sensor achieved 4.2 mm RMSE, both within acceptable operational thresholds. The system maintained optimal soil moisture levels 93.7% of the time, with an average response time of 3.3 seconds. SMS alert delivery achieved a reliability rate of 98.1%, demonstrating effective communication even in constrained network conditions. The findings confirm that low-cost, IoT-based irrigation systems can significantly enhance water management and reduce labor demands for smallholder farmers. Although testing was limited to laboratory conditions, the system shows strong potential for field deployment with further improvements such as weatherproofing, solar integration, and long-term field validation. This work contributes to the advancement of smart agriculture technologies tailored to resource-constrained environments and aligns with broader goals of food security, water conservation, and climate resilience.