SMART-AGRI-TCHAD: An Integrated IoT-SDR Architecture for Smart Agriculture in Arid Zones

In this article, we propose an innovative smart agriculture solution for the arid regions of Chad, where approximately 80% of the population depends on subsistence farming. Our approach integrates four complementary technologies: the Internet of Things (IoT) for environmental data collection, the MQTT protocol for efficient communication over limited bandwidth, Software-Defined Radio (SDR) technology for flexible connectivity in rural areas, and the Fledge platform for data analysis and processing. The proposed architecture includes a containerized infrastructure that facilitates deployment and maintenance, as well as a real-time alert system via Slack. Performance tests demonstrate the viability of our solution, with data rates reaching 37.94 Mb/s. This approach enables more efficient water resource management and improved agricultural productivity in areas facing major climatic challenges. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our solution for environmental monitoring and real-time decision-making in the context of agriculture in arid regions.