Optimising performances of LoRa based IoT enabled wireless sensor network for smart agriculture

The significance of maintaining food security is particularly emphasized in regions such as Malaysia, where there is a substantial reliance on imports of fruits and vegetables. The local farming industry requires advancements in technology to address the complexities of food production. This motivates the exploration of implementing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to reduce reliance on manpower and enhance farming efficiency. However, the current integrated IoT solutions for smart farms can be expensive and complicated, rendering them redundant for small-area farms that do not require advanced technologies or machine learning. This study aims to optimize IoT LoRa parameter settings, focusing on providing affordable solutions tailored for fruit and vegetable farms. The main goal is to address the common issue faced by farmers—investing in expensive IoT-enabled wireless sensors without realizing a return on investment. To overcome this challenge, a simple and cost-effective IoT solution is proposed, utilising sensors and readily available applications to achieve efficient farming practises. The main objective is to develop an integrated IoT solution tailored for fruit and vegetable farms, facilitating improved productivity and growth. The solution incorporates sensors to monitor and control various aspects of crop cultivation, collecting essential data. The research development here also aims to inspire low-cost IoT solutions suitable for small-scale food plantation farms by using the long-range physical communication technique (LoRa) protocol. Leveraging IoT technologies in a simplified manner allows local farming industries to boost productivity, lower operational costs, and effectively address food security concerns.In addition to the IoT technology development for smart farms, the research here also investigates the various factors affecting the performance of LoRa-enabled IoT solutions for smart farms, including LoRa frequency, distance, environment, and the performance of the IoT system under different weather conditions, showed a significant effect on system performance (p ≤ 0.05). This comprehensive approach aims to contribute valuable insights for the development and implementation of cost-effective IoT solutions tailored for small-scale agricultural practices. In conclusion, this project demonstrates the efficency of LoRa-based IoT in agriculture and highlights areas for improvement. Future directions involve improving scalability, streamlining the user interface, and adding sophisticated features to support the development of productive, networked, and environmentally friendly farming methods.