Empowering remote agricultural communities in Lao PDR through IoT technology

Authors: Dr Arthur Gilly and Ken Streutker

In the remote regions of Lao PDR, agriculture is not just a livelihood; it's a way of life. However, challenges such as poor infrastructure, limited access to modern farming techniques, and unpredictable weather patterns severely hinder agricultural productivity.

To address these issues, our ISIF Asia -funded project, 'Empowering remote agricultural communities in Lao PDR through long-range wide area networks' aimed to harness the power of low-cost Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, specifically using Long Range (LoRa) technology, to deliver critical agricultural data to farmers. This initiative was designed not only to bridge the technological divide between urban centres and remote agricultural communities but also to empower these communities by making the technology accessible and sustainable. This post will look at how we implemented the technology and the lessons learned.

Technical implementation

The initial core of our project was built around LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network), a wireless technology known for its low power consumption and long-range capabilities. The initial phase involved developing a prototype capable of relaying critical agricultural data such as weather conditions and soil moisture levels from remote locations to a centralized system for analysis. This data would then be processed and presented to farmers in a simplified format, enabling them to make informed decisions to improve their farming practices.

The first phase of the project involved extensive field testing to determine the transmission capabilities of LoRaWAN technology in various terrains. Our tests revealed that while LoRa could cover distances up to seven kilometres in flat terrains, this range was reduced to approximately four kilometres in more challenging landscapes. These insights were crucial as they guided the design and deployment of our network, ensuring reliable data transmission across diverse geographic conditions.

LoRaWAN is a communication protocol that operates on top of the LoRa physical layer. While LoRa determines the modulation technique for data transmission over radio waves, LoRaWAN specifies the communication protocol and system architecture for the network. It manages the data transmission between end devices (such as our sensor arrays) and network gateways, which then relay the data to central servers. LoRaWAN handles important aspects such as Adaptive Data Rate (ADR) settings, network security, and device authentication. Crucially, the added computations performed on top of modulation, as well as the requirement for simultaneous multi-channel support, usually mean that LoRaWAN requires more powerful and expensive hardware compared to pure LoRa devices. ​

To complement the hardware, we designed a simple software dashboard that presented live measurements from the sensors, while the data was also being stored on a server located at our premises. For this, we used Grafana, an open source platform that can connect to varied data sources, perform basic summarization and display trends and summary data in a user-friendly way. This dashboard provided a user-friendly interface for monitoring environmental conditions in real-time.

We developed an initial prototype using imported, preassembled sensor modules and LoRa gateways:

1. SX1302 LoRa Gateway Module with enclosure
2. RAK WisGate Developer D4+ (EG95-E) / 4GB RPi4 / EU433
3. Outdoor Enclosure for WisGate Developer
4. DS18b20 temperature probe sensor 100CM
5. SX1276 433MHz LoRa transceiver module
6. Heltec IOT LoRa Node ESP32 Wi-Fi 433MHz

These modules, although effective, proved to be too costly for widespread deployment in the rural and economically constrained areas of Lao PDR.

Recognizing this limitation, we shifted our focus toward creating a locally designed, cost-effective solution. This new approach centred on using affordable and readily available components, ensuring that the system could be easily maintained and operated by local communities without relying on expensive imports. This system comprised a 4G-connected, solar-powered node and two sensor arrays utilizing LoRa as a backbone with a Meshtastic network.

The locally developed solution featured a modular design, which included sensor nodes for collecting environmental data, relay nodes for transmitting this data across distances, and exit nodes connected to the Internet via 4G networks. Each of these components would be solar-powered, further enhancing the system's sustainability in remote areas where the electricity supply is often unreliable or non-existent. This system consisted of:

1. (Gateway) Raspberry Pi 4B 4GB running on Linux, Raspbian Lites distribution
2. (Gateway) SX1268 LoRa Hat for Raspberry Pi, 433MHz
3. (Gateway) 4G Dongle
4. (Gateway) solar charging module
5. (Node) CubeCell DevBoard+ (HTCC-AB02S), included solar panel and battery management system
6. Custom 3D-printed enclosures for node and gateway
7. SX1302 LoRa Gateway Module with enclosure
8. WisGate Developer D4+ (EG95-E) / 4GB RPi4 / EU433
9. Outdoor Enclosure for WisGate Developer
10. DS18b20 temperature probe sensor 100CM
11. SX1276 433MHz LoRa transceiver module
12. Heltec IOT LoRa Node ESP32 Wi-Fi 433MHz

A critical aspect of our project was ensuring the technology met the actual needs of the community. To this end, we conducted an extensive survey across multiple regions, engaging nearly 80 farmers. The survey revealed that, while real-time sensor data was valuable, farmers were more concerned with practical issues such as livestock disease management and crop price fluctuations. This feedback made it clear that any technological system would first and foremost have to align with the community's priorities, ensuring that the technology would be both relevant and useful.

Given the feedback from our initial prototype training sessions, where we found that local technicians and farmers struggled with the complexity of the system, we decided to incorporate a strong capacity-building component into our project. This led to the organization of a hackathon, designed not only as a development exercise but also as an educational opportunity. Over 20 students from various technical backgrounds participated, working on different aspects of the IoT system, from sensor integration to the creation of a Lao bytecode font for more accessible local use. The hackathon aimed to build local technical capacity and foster a sense of ownership among participants, ensuring that the community could sustain and scale the technology in the long term.

Lessons learned

As with any pioneering project, we encountered several challenges that provided valuable lessons. One of the most significant was the realization that the technology's cost and complexity posed a barrier to its adoption among farmers. Feedback from our mid-project assessment highlighted the need for a more user-friendly and cost-effective solution. This led us to redesign our system, shifting from the more expensive LoRaWAN backbone to a simpler, more affordable LoRa-based mesh network.

Another critical lesson was the importance of aligning technological solutions with the actual needs of the farmers. Our survey revealed that while real-time sensor data was not a priority for most farmers, there was a strong demand for information on livestock disease management and crop prices. This insight underscored the necessity of tailoring technology to address the specific challenges faced by the target communities.

Finally, capacity building emerged as a critical factor in the project's success. The challenges encountered during the initial training sessions underscored the importance of ensuring that local users could operate and maintain the technology. The hackathon served as an effective platform for this, providing hands-on experience and fostering a deeper understanding of the technology among participants.

Future use

Our project has made significant strides in integrating IoT technology into agriculture in Lao PDR, particularly in remote and underserved areas. While we encountered challenges along the way, the shift to locally designed solutions, coupled with a strong focus on community engagement and capacity building, has laid a solid foundation for future growth. By continuing to refine our approach and build on the lessons learned, we are confident that we can create lasting positive impacts in these communities, helping farmers improve their livelihoods and adapt to the challenges of modern agriculture.

Dr Arthur Gilly and Ken Streutker are Co-Founders of The Makerbox Lao, the first community innovation/incubation/makerspace in Lao PDR.

This project was supported by an ISIF Asia grant from the APNIC Foundation. More information is available in its technical report on the Foundation website.

The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of APNIC. Please note a Code of Conduct applies to this blog.

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