Automated actuation devices like sprinklers, foggers, valve controlled irrigation system, harvesters and others, can be used to control irrigation, fertilization and pests in order to offset the adverse conditions .These included grid soil sampling,yield monitoring, and crop scouting. The strategically positioned sensors collect data in the form of electronic computer databases which gives birth to the Geographic Information System for statistical analyses of data, to determine variability of agricultural land with respect to its properties . An effective method used to easily interpret remote sensing data is calculating vegetation indices-VI .
VIs has been widely used to assess vegetation condition, cover,and growth, as well as evaluate canopy attributes such as leaf area index and plant height. VI values indicate differences in vegetation condition or amount. It is necessary to determine the total number of sensory devices required to be deployed per ha of cultivatable land while considering planting density. Closed loop control ability as well as adaptability for different scenarios and sensor nodes is needed for the field operations . Each of these scattered sensor nodes has the capability to collect and route data either to other sensors or back to an external base station. The base station is made capable of connecting the sensor network to an existing communications infrastructure or to the Internet where a user can have access to the reported data . However, operational techniques are required to be transmitted to the farmers for incorporation of RST into farming by the extension agent whose responsibility is to teach farmers the techniques in utilizing new technology in farming.
These extension agents were trained by lecturers of Agriculture in the universities to make them competent in identification of farmers’ problems for solution. These extension agents and lecturers are knowledgeable in innovation that can be transmitted to the farmers for enhanced production especially in the use of sensory technology for precision farming.In Nigeria, many farmers detect presence of draught, pests and diseases and plant-water requirement through scouting method. This traditional method provides single point coverage which does not permit farmers to know the exert soil and plant conditions in addition to preventing them by monitoring trends in the production for effective crop management decisions. It was also observed that despite farmers’ effort to use different means for increased crop production in the country, occurrence of irregular and non-predictive rainfall pattern and sunshine hours continued to lower harvests of cassava, maize, melon and yam with at least 2.5% decline of harvests per annum . Apart from loss of produce during cultivation, about half of the food produced is never consumed due to inefficiencies in the harvesting of crops.
Studies showed – that the world’s population is expected to nearly double by 2050 while food supply is unlikely to follow the same pattern even by doubling the area under cultivation , due to the impact of climate change; there is need for continued crop production to meet the needs of the teaming population through the use of sensory technology. This means that in order to ensure high productivity, farmers must utilize different technologies in production process to provide arable crops like cassava, cowpea, maize yam and others. However, the knowledge of the Graphical User Interface of the sensor technology application is needed on the side of the farmers to monitor and control scenarios, and instruct commands for decision on the farm. It was therefore based on this scenario that this study was initiated to identify the techniques in utilizing sensor technology so that the extension agents could use it as a training package for teaching farmers for precision crop production in the country;hence the study. The major purpose of this study was to identify techniques needed in utilizing remote sensor technology for precision crop production by farmers.
The result of the study in Table 1 revealed that in planning for utilization of sensor technology the farmers needed to acquire computer operation technique to collect route data to other sensors and back to external base station, determine the number of sensor devices required per hectare, determine the plant density, set up based information, configure and distribute sensor devises in the farm, connect sensor to any existing communication infrastructure , identify crop farm to be monitored and agro-based allied information, relevant personnel,determine records to keep and provide necessary fund among others. The findings of this study were in line with the findings of that the base station needs to be connected to an existing communications infrastructure or to the Internet where a user can have access to the reported data. The findings of the study were also in conformity with the findings of who found out that configuration of different scenarios is necessary while found out that sensor nodes when appropriately configured collect and route data either to other sensors or back to an external base station.