Bluetooth-Controlled Laboratory-Scale Smart Irrigation as a Training Kit for Climate Change Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

Irregular rainfall patterns are one of the effects of climate change that is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Even though many African farmers are negatively impacted by climate change, a large percentage of them lack the basic knowledge of how to mitigate it. To address this challenge, this study presents a digital mitigation strategy in the form of a portable laboratory-scale smart irrigation system, which was used as a training kit in raising the awareness of climate change and its mitigating strategies among school children. The paper reports challenges encountered by farmers in sub-Saharan Africa regarding climate change, recongnising knowledge gap, lack of adequate technology for mitigation, and financial constraint as major factors. It explores agricultural practices and digital tools for climate change mitigation in SSA. A digital agricultural initiative supported by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) was reported, with the laboratory-scale smart irrigation system as a case study. This initiative involved a climate change survey conducted for knowledge gap assessment, development of the laboratory-scale smart irrigation system, and outreaches to secondary schools on climate change awareness. During the outreaches, 1,148 participants were exposed to teaching, demonstrations, and hands-on experience mitigating irregular rainfall patterns using the developed trading kit. The research concludes with thought-provoking questions for future research. In summary, this article provides a model for climate change education in SSA through the use of digital technology. It revealed the potential of secondary schools as training grounds in preparing the next generation for a proactive response to climate change in SSA.