Real-time store temperature monitoring system for maize farmers: a case study for Amach Co-operative Farmers

Abstract

This study focused on the development and implementation of a real-time temperature monitoring and alert system (TEMP-ALERT) to address post-harvest crop losses among small-scale co-operative farmers in Amach village, Northern Uganda. These farmers face significant challenges due to poor storage conditions, particularly temperature fluctuations that lead to rapid spoilage of staple crops like maize. The lack of affordable and effective temperature monitoring solutions has contributed to crop degradation, income loss, and food insecurity. To solve this, the TEMP-ALERT system was designed to provide farmers with instant notifications whenever storage temperatures exceed safe thresholds. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Data collection methods included structured interviews and questionnaires administered to 24 farmers and agricultural experts to understand current storage practices and system requirements. In the first objective, existing IoT-based agricultural monitoring systems were reviewed (such as LoRaWAN Greenhouse Monitoring, Smart Crop Selection, and others) to identify their strengths and gaps. These findings informed the design of a more tailored solution for postharvest storage. In the second objective, system design was guided by structured diagrams including class diagrams, context diagrams, use case and DFDs, detailing the interaction between IoT sensors, microcontrollers, cloud servers, and user interfaces. The third objective involved implementation using tools and technologies such as DHT22 sensor, Arduino Uno, GSM Module, React Native and JavaScript for the mobile app, and MySQL for data storage, among others. Finally, the system was tested through unit testing, integration testing and feature testing to validate its performance under real storage conditions. The results indicate that TEMP-ALERT can significantly reduce spoilage by alerting users in real-time, allowing timely intervention. The study benefits smallholder farmers, agricultural technologists, and policymakers by offering an affordable, scalable solution that promotes better crop preservation, food security, and income generation. It recommends future enhancement of the system to enable the receiving of sms notifications on various mobile numbers and localization in multiple languages to improve usability for non-English speaking farmers