General Introduction

In a world where agriculture plays a vital role in food security and economic development, it
is imperative to adopt innovative approaches to address the growing challenges faced by
modern farmers. With the evolution of climatic conditions, increasing pressure on natural
resources, and the necessity to enhance agricultural productivity, the need for intelligent
solutions to improve farm management has become paramount. This report focuses on an
innovative project in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT): FarmGuard. Designed to meet
the critical needs of farmers for monitoring and analyzing agricultural data, FarmGuard
represents a significant advancement in the realm of smart agriculture. This report is
structured into several chapters, each focusing on a specific aspect of the FarmGuard project.
In the first chapter, we will provide a state-of-the-art overview by examining the context in
which the project emerged, identifying the challenges faced by farmers, and presenting the
innovative solution proposed by FarmGuard. Subsequently, the second chapter will delve into
the key components used in the project, highlighting their roles and contributions to realizing
FarmGuard's objectives. Finally, the third chapter will explore the practical implementation of
FarmGuard, detailing the deployment steps and showcasing the tangible benefits observed in
real-world contexts. Through this report, we aim to offer a comprehensive insight into
FarmGuard and demonstrate its potential to transform the way farmers manage their
agricultural operations. By investing in innovative technologies such as FarmGuard, we can
shape a future where agriculture is more efficient, sustainable, and resilient in the face of
upcoming challenges.
Chapter 1: Proposed Solution and its Conception

Introduction

In this chapter, we will present the innovative solution proposed by FarmGuard to address the
complex challenges of modern agriculture. We will delve into the key components of
FarmGuard, from the use of smart sensors to the design of a robust cloud platform based on
AWS.

1.1 State of the art :

In an ever-evolving agricultural context, farmers face complex challenges that hinder their
ability to maximize yields and ensure the profitability of their operations. One of the main
obstacles farmers encounter is the lack of access to real-time information on environmental
conditions and crop performance. Without these crucial data, farmers struggle to make
informed decisions and anticipate the needs of their crops.

The lack of access to real-time data poses a series of challenges for farmers. Firstly, the
decisions they make are often based on rough estimates and assumptions, which can lead to
costly errors. Additionally, due to limited responsiveness, farmers struggle to adjust their
practices in a timely manner in response to unforeseen changes in weather conditions or crop
performance. Furthermore, inefficient management of resources such as water and chemicals
can be observed, as these resources are not applied precisely based on the specific needs of
the crops.

These challenges highlight the urgent need for innovative solutions that provide real-time data
to farmers, enabling them to make informed decisions, react quickly to changes, and
efficiently manage their resources. Solutions such as smart sensors, monitoring networks, and
data analysis offer tremendous potential to transform modern agriculture by improving
productivity, reducing costs, and contributing to a more sustainable and resilient agriculture.

1.2 Proposed Solution

The FarmGuard project proposes an innovative solution to meet the needs of farmers for real-
time monitoring and analysis of agricultural data. FarmGuard stands out for its comprehensive
and integrated approach, showcasing an IoT platform entirely designed from scratch to
minimize deployment costs while offering an extensive range of features and efficient
handling of massive data.

FarmGuard utilizes a variety of smart sensors, such as temperature and humidity sensors, to
collect precise data on the environmental conditions of crops. The use of ESP32 ensures
robust and stable connectivity between the sensors and the FarmGuard cloud platform.

To efficiently store and process agricultural data, FarmGuard relies on a robust cloud platform
based on AWS (Amazon Web Services). This cloud infrastructure offers flexible scaling to
manage the massive data generated by the sensors.

Furthermore, FarmGuard integrates advanced analysis tools such as Elasticsearch, Kibana,

and Logstash to provide farmers with relevant and actionable information about their
agricultural operations. These tools enable data visualization, trend identification, anomaly
detection, and informed decision-making.

By designing the IoT platform from scratch, FarmGuard significantly reduces deployment
costs for farmers. This approach also allows for deeper customization according to the
specific needs of each farm.

FarmGuard offers an extensive range of functionalities, from real-time monitoring of

environmental conditions to advanced analysis of agricultural data. Farmers can obtain
detailed insights into crop health, water and nutrient needs, and more. This enables informed
and strategic decision-making to maximize yields and profitability of their operations.

1.3 Used Materials :

1.3.1 DHT11 Sensor :

The DHT11 sensor is a versatile digital device designed to measure ambient temperature and
relative humidity. Its compact and cost-effective design makes it a popular choice for IoT
applications in environmental monitoring. With an accuracy of ±2°C for temperature and ±5%
for relative humidity, it provides reliable data. Its single-wire communication protocol
facilitates its integration into various projects.

1.3.2 Humidity Sensor :

The humidity sensor is essential in smart agriculture. Based on capacitive or resistive

technologies, it measures the humidity of the air or soil. By monitoring these levels, farmers
can adjust irrigation to optimize crop growth. For example, if it indicates low humidity,
farmers can activate irrigation to maintain ideal growth conditions.

1.3.3 Soil Moisture Sensors :

Soil moisture sensors detect the accumulated moisture in the soil, different from humidity.
This function is crucial for detecting leaks or abnormal conditions. By identifying excessive
moisture, these sensors help prevent plant diseases and maintain an optimal environment for
crop growth.

1.3.4 ESP32 :

The ESP32 is a versatile microcontroller highly valued in IoT for its power, connectivity, and
low consumption. With two CPU cores, it efficiently manages multiple tasks. Its built-in Wi-
Fi and Bluetooth connectivity enable data transfer to a cloud platform. The numerous GPIO
ports offer flexibility to connect various sensors. With the ESP32 in FarmGuard, farmers can
monitor real-time conditions and soil moisture for efficient agricultural management.

1.4 Technologies Used :

1.4.1 AWS Cloud Services Platform :

The AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud services platform is a set of cloud services offered
by Amazon. In the FarmGuard project, AWS is used as a robust cloud platform to store and
process agricultural data. AWS services provide high reliability, flexible scaling, and
advanced security, making it an ideal choice for IoT applications. With AWS, FarmGuard can
leverage services such as Amazon S3 for data storage, Amazon EC2 for virtual machines, and
Amazon IoT Core to manage connected IoT devices. This cloud infrastructure provides a
solid foundation for collecting, storing, and analyzing agricultural data in real-time.

1.4.2 ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) :

ELK is a widely used open-source software suite for log management and data analysis. It
consists of three main components :

 Elasticsearch : Elasticsearch is a distributed search engine designed for searching and

analyzing large datasets. In FarmGuard, Elasticsearch is used to store and index the
collected agricultural data. It offers advanced search capabilities, allowing farmers to
query and analyze data for relevant insights into their agricultural operations.
 Logstash : Logstash is a data collection, transformation, and shipping tool. It collects
data from various sources and sends it to Elasticsearch for storage. In FarmGuard,
Logstash plays a crucial role in collecting sensor data, such as temperature, humidity,
and transmitting it to Elasticsearch for further analysis.
 Kibana : Kibana is a data visualization interface that enables the creation of
dashboards and interactive charts to explore and visualize data stored in Elasticsearch.
Farmers can use Kibana to monitor real-time environmental conditions, soil moisture
levels, and other key parameters. In the context of FarmGuard, Kibana is also
connected to a web interface that controls irrigation based on two states : "On" and
"Off". For example, when environmental conditions indicate a need for irrigation (e.g.,
low humidity), the web interface activates the "On" state, triggering the lighting of an
LED (representing the irrigation pump) via the ESP32. When conditions are
satisfactory, the "Off" state is activated, turning off the LED.
1.5 Solution Cost

1.5.1 Economic Advantage of FarmGuard:

One of the major advantages of FarmGuard is its affordable hardware cost, providing
a cost-effective solution for farmers. Indeed, key components such as humidity
sensors, the DHT11 sensor, and the ESP32 are available at competitive prices. For
example, the DHT11 sensor can be purchased for approximately 5 TND, soil moisture
sensors for around 25 TND each, and the ESP32 for about 40 TND. Including the 3D
printing cost of the enclosure at around 1 TND, the total hardware cost for each
FarmGuard node is approximately 71 TND.

1.5.2 Energy Consumption Cost:

In addition to its affordable initial cost, FarmGuard also offers long-term savings in
terms of energy consumption. The ESP32, used as the system's core, is known for its
low consumption, reducing electricity costs during operation. With an average
consumption of only 0.3 watts during continuous operation, FarmGuard remains
efficient and cost-effective in the long run.

1.5.3 Connectivity Costs:

Another significant saving comes from FarmGuard's integration with AWS. Rather
than connecting each sensor individually to the internet, FarmGuard uses a single
point of connection via the ESP32. This minimizes connectivity costs by reducing the
number of required internet connections. By integrating the architecture on AWS,
data is transmitted to the cloud platform through a single node, enabling cost
savings in maintenance and connection management.

1.6 Solution Architectures :

Conclusion :

In this first chapter, we have presented our FarmGuard solution along with its design.
In the next chapter, we will move on to the implementation and realization part of
this IoT project.