Addressing Agri-Business Challenges using Internet of Things Technologies: Case Study of Botswana

The government of Botswana has been and is encouraging the use of technology to exploit opportunities offered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to the different economies of the country. Agriculture in Botswana is one economy that still faces many challenges such as communication, electricity, water, animal theft, farm Management, animal health and diseases, vaccination records, marketing and many others. 70-80% of the rural population in Botswana depend on farming for their living sustenance. Smart Innovative technology developments have the potential to address some of these Agri-Business challenges in Botswana and make farm management more efficient. This paper presents some block diagrams of innovative Internet of Things systems that can be developed to address some of these challenges. These include Water and Diesel flow rate and Level Monitoring Systems; Inventory Systems; Soil Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems; Animal Health and Tracking Management Systems. These technologies have the potential to be developed and used in agri-business.