Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570867
Baidenger Agyekum Twumasi, Jia‐lin Li, Ebenezer Tawiah Ashong, S. Menanor
This paper presents the design of a circular microstrip patch antenna time reversal mirror (TRM) for microwave wireless power transfer applications. The proposed antenna has 4.9 GHz bandwidth covering the 5.8 GHz WLAN band. Defects were used to improve the bandwidth and return loss of the proposed antenna TRM with enhanced radiation suitable for wireless power transfer for off-body biomedical applications. For the antenna time reversal mirror proposed, the slots act as scatterers enhancing the performance of the antenna time reversal mirror with transforming structures. The proposed antenna is designed on a microwave substrate of relative permittivity of 2.65 having a loss tangent of 0.003. It has a compact size of 30mm by 28mm. A rectangular bracket shaped slot was etched on the circular patch to improve its return loss with a maximum return loss of -55dB, better than -10dB with impedance bandwidth of 3.67-8.57 GHz and improved radiation pattern. Square slots were also etched on the partial ground plane of the proposed antenna.
{"title":"Circular Monopole Time Reversal Mirror for Microwave Wireless Power Transfer Applications","authors":"Baidenger Agyekum Twumasi, Jia‐lin Li, Ebenezer Tawiah Ashong, S. Menanor","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570867","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570867","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents the design of a circular microstrip patch antenna time reversal mirror (TRM) for microwave wireless power transfer applications. The proposed antenna has 4.9 GHz bandwidth covering the 5.8 GHz WLAN band. Defects were used to improve the bandwidth and return loss of the proposed antenna TRM with enhanced radiation suitable for wireless power transfer for off-body biomedical applications. For the antenna time reversal mirror proposed, the slots act as scatterers enhancing the performance of the antenna time reversal mirror with transforming structures. The proposed antenna is designed on a microwave substrate of relative permittivity of 2.65 having a loss tangent of 0.003. It has a compact size of 30mm by 28mm. A rectangular bracket shaped slot was etched on the circular patch to improve its return loss with a maximum return loss of -55dB, better than -10dB with impedance bandwidth of 3.67-8.57 GHz and improved radiation pattern. Square slots were also etched on the partial ground plane of the proposed antenna.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"48 9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130351283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570923
W. Masamvu, O. Dzobo
Reactive power flow analysis is an essential feature of power systems management. Controlling the amounts of reactive power flowing in and out of a power system network aids in keeping network voltage within acceptable limits. As the penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into the conventional electric grid increases, its effect on reactive power must be investigated. Research studies have shown that the uncertainty of RESs in power generation influences the reactive power of a power system network and consequently its overall transmission losses. This influence can be mitigated by installing FACTS devices in the power system network. In this research paper, a case study is presented to determine the best location of Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices in a power system network with RESs. The uncertainty of load and wind power generation is modelled using probabilistic scenario-based method. The IEEE 14 bus test network is used in the analysis. The objective function is solved using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The results show that when FACTS devices are strategically positioned in a power system network and uncertainty is considered, they have a significant influence on the overall transmission loss of the network.
{"title":"Investigating the Optimal Location of FACTS Devices in Power System Networks with Renewable Energy Sources considering uncertainty","authors":"W. Masamvu, O. Dzobo","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570923","url":null,"abstract":"Reactive power flow analysis is an essential feature of power systems management. Controlling the amounts of reactive power flowing in and out of a power system network aids in keeping network voltage within acceptable limits. As the penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) into the conventional electric grid increases, its effect on reactive power must be investigated. Research studies have shown that the uncertainty of RESs in power generation influences the reactive power of a power system network and consequently its overall transmission losses. This influence can be mitigated by installing FACTS devices in the power system network. In this research paper, a case study is presented to determine the best location of Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System (FACTS) devices in a power system network with RESs. The uncertainty of load and wind power generation is modelled using probabilistic scenario-based method. The IEEE 14 bus test network is used in the analysis. The objective function is solved using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The results show that when FACTS devices are strategically positioned in a power system network and uncertainty is considered, they have a significant influence on the overall transmission loss of the network.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131139693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570964
E. C. Abunike, O. Okoro, I. Davidson
The design of a four-pole reluctance motor with multiple objectives is discussed in this paper using a finite element design methodology based on multi-objective genetic algorithm. Non-dominated genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used because of its high performance and intensification in optimization problems. The global sensitivity chart revealed that the motor’s stator pole embrace and yoke thickness are key parameters for the optimization objectives, while the rotor’s pole embrace should be restrained and closely associated with these two key parameters. According to the optimization and sensitivity analysis results, a final design which is superior to the base design was achieved. There were 15 % and 13.2 % improvement in the optimized model in terms of the average torque and efficiency respectively. Also, the optimized model recorded a reduction in the average torque ripple and total loss by 1.55 % and 30.1 % respectively. This demonstrates the NSGA-II intelligent optimization program is a suitable framework to optimize specified objective functions.
{"title":"Finite Element Design and Multi-objective Optimization of Four Pole Reluctance Motor Based on NSGA-II Intelligent Algorithm","authors":"E. C. Abunike, O. Okoro, I. Davidson","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570964","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570964","url":null,"abstract":"The design of a four-pole reluctance motor with multiple objectives is discussed in this paper using a finite element design methodology based on multi-objective genetic algorithm. Non-dominated genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used because of its high performance and intensification in optimization problems. The global sensitivity chart revealed that the motor’s stator pole embrace and yoke thickness are key parameters for the optimization objectives, while the rotor’s pole embrace should be restrained and closely associated with these two key parameters. According to the optimization and sensitivity analysis results, a final design which is superior to the base design was achieved. There were 15 % and 13.2 % improvement in the optimized model in terms of the average torque and efficiency respectively. Also, the optimized model recorded a reduction in the average torque ripple and total loss by 1.55 % and 30.1 % respectively. This demonstrates the NSGA-II intelligent optimization program is a suitable framework to optimize specified objective functions.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127212395","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570846
Mohamed N. Elfikky, A. El-Morshedy, M. El-Shahat
The gradient of Arc Current (di/dt) and rate of rise of recovery voltage (RRRV) are used to study the capability of circuit breaker (CB) to interrupt different faults. The current interruption mechanism in high voltage direct current (HVDC) CB is complicated and needs an auxiliary circuit to generate current zero crossing. Mayr Arc Model is used to simulate the arc current interruption process. The effects of arc model parameters, arc time constant (τ) and cooling power (P), on di/dt and RRRV are presented in this work. It is found that the lower di/dt will appear at higher Arc time constant and lower cooling power values, but with limits. Contrary to di/dt, RRRV has lower values at low arc time constant values and high cooling power values, but Mayr arc model parameters have greater effect on di/dt than RRRV. This paper also addresses the effect of three types of fault impedance (resistive, inductive and capacitive) on di/dt and RRRV. A comparison is carried out for these fault impedances and shows good performance for capacitive impedance.
{"title":"Arc Parameters and Fault Impedance effect on the Gradient of Arc Current and Rate of Rise of Recovery Voltage in HVDC Circuit Breaker Using Mayr Arc Model.","authors":"Mohamed N. Elfikky, A. El-Morshedy, M. El-Shahat","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570846","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570846","url":null,"abstract":"The gradient of Arc Current (di/dt) and rate of rise of recovery voltage (RRRV) are used to study the capability of circuit breaker (CB) to interrupt different faults. The current interruption mechanism in high voltage direct current (HVDC) CB is complicated and needs an auxiliary circuit to generate current zero crossing. Mayr Arc Model is used to simulate the arc current interruption process. The effects of arc model parameters, arc time constant (τ) and cooling power (P), on di/dt and RRRV are presented in this work. It is found that the lower di/dt will appear at higher Arc time constant and lower cooling power values, but with limits. Contrary to di/dt, RRRV has lower values at low arc time constant values and high cooling power values, but Mayr arc model parameters have greater effect on di/dt than RRRV. This paper also addresses the effect of three types of fault impedance (resistive, inductive and capacitive) on di/dt and RRRV. A comparison is carried out for these fault impedances and shows good performance for capacitive impedance.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"14 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127384864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570907
Robert Macharia, K. Langat, P. Kihato
Collaborative beamforming (CBF) has been proposed as a viable tool towards increasing node transmission range in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). This is highly essential in scenarios featuring highly elevated airborne sinks (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)) where multi-hop transmission is inconceivable. CBF yields radiation in unintended directions (sidelobes). A high sidelobe is bound to lead to interference at an UAV in the sidelobe’s direction (taking into consideration a case of multiple and mobile UAV sinks). A direct consequence of increased interference is reduction in communication capacity at the affected UAV. This paper presents a generalized sidelobe minimization scheme using Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA). The effect of sidelobe minimization on the communication capacity at unintended UAVs is analyzed. Appreciable capacity increase is observed in comparison to a scheme featuring peak sidelobe minimization only.
{"title":"Interference Management upon Collaborative Beamforming in a Wireless Sensor Network Monitoring System featuring Multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles","authors":"Robert Macharia, K. Langat, P. Kihato","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570907","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570907","url":null,"abstract":"Collaborative beamforming (CBF) has been proposed as a viable tool towards increasing node transmission range in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). This is highly essential in scenarios featuring highly elevated airborne sinks (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)) where multi-hop transmission is inconceivable. CBF yields radiation in unintended directions (sidelobes). A high sidelobe is bound to lead to interference at an UAV in the sidelobe’s direction (taking into consideration a case of multiple and mobile UAV sinks). A direct consequence of increased interference is reduction in communication capacity at the affected UAV. This paper presents a generalized sidelobe minimization scheme using Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA). The effect of sidelobe minimization on the communication capacity at unintended UAVs is analyzed. Appreciable capacity increase is observed in comparison to a scheme featuring peak sidelobe minimization only.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"63 1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127407785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9571008
Jacobus Kampman, Judas Masela, T. Joubert
The development of accurate corrosion models from corrosion data is a key requirement for well informed, preemptive actions towards extending the life of water infrastructure systems and reducing maintenance costs. This work presents the development of a custom proof-of-concept system implementation performing water corrosion monitoring using custom integrated corrosion sensing technologies powered by energy harvested through an in-line turbine generator. Implementing a star topology network of wireless corrosion sensor nodes distributed through water infrastructure systems offers an innovative solution for real-time and on-line monitoring of corrosion in water infrastructure systems. The wireless sensor network includes a wireless access point that provides an interface for retrieval of the corrosion data and a nexus for communications. A low-power bidirectional data transfer communications protocol using a form of time-division multiplex access is designed and implemented towards the optimisation of energy efficiency in the network. In an emulated pipeline field setup, the energy harvested and stored provides 125.80 mWh at 4.89 V for an in-pipe flow rate of 13.25 l/min, a typical value for municipal potable water supply in South Africa. The local node ER sensor can of measure changes in resistance values to an accuracy of 1% and will be usable in-system for a year. The access point implements EIS and LPR sensing. The extracted LPR value predicts a corrosion rate is 63.0 um/year in potable water.
{"title":"Wireless sensor network for water pipe corrosion monitoring","authors":"Jacobus Kampman, Judas Masela, T. Joubert","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9571008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9571008","url":null,"abstract":"The development of accurate corrosion models from corrosion data is a key requirement for well informed, preemptive actions towards extending the life of water infrastructure systems and reducing maintenance costs. This work presents the development of a custom proof-of-concept system implementation performing water corrosion monitoring using custom integrated corrosion sensing technologies powered by energy harvested through an in-line turbine generator. Implementing a star topology network of wireless corrosion sensor nodes distributed through water infrastructure systems offers an innovative solution for real-time and on-line monitoring of corrosion in water infrastructure systems. The wireless sensor network includes a wireless access point that provides an interface for retrieval of the corrosion data and a nexus for communications. A low-power bidirectional data transfer communications protocol using a form of time-division multiplex access is designed and implemented towards the optimisation of energy efficiency in the network. In an emulated pipeline field setup, the energy harvested and stored provides 125.80 mWh at 4.89 V for an in-pipe flow rate of 13.25 l/min, a typical value for municipal potable water supply in South Africa. The local node ER sensor can of measure changes in resistance values to an accuracy of 1% and will be usable in-system for a year. The access point implements EIS and LPR sensing. The extracted LPR value predicts a corrosion rate is 63.0 um/year in potable water.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"249 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114333283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570848
R. Lung
The possibility of enhancing the performance of the Probit classification model by adding a game theoretic flavour to the model parameters is explored in this paper. A game in which each attribute of the data set represents a player choosing its parameter is devised. The Nash equilibrium of this game is approximated by using a Differential Evolution algorithm. Numerical examples illustrate the potential of this approach.
{"title":"A Nash Equilibrium Approach based on Differential Evolution to Probit Classification","authors":"R. Lung","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570848","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570848","url":null,"abstract":"The possibility of enhancing the performance of the Probit classification model by adding a game theoretic flavour to the model parameters is explored in this paper. A game in which each attribute of the data set represents a player choosing its parameter is devised. The Nash equilibrium of this game is approximated by using a Differential Evolution algorithm. Numerical examples illustrate the potential of this approach.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121842619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570921
Reeshen Reddy
The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 is an ongoing industrial revolution brought about by several emerging technologies expected to disrupt most business sectors. The effect of Industry 4.0 on the Electronic Warfare (EW) sector is strategically analyzed using Technology Road Mapping (TRM). An enhanced TRM is proposed based on the fast-start TRM method that incorporates an additional military capability layer to assess the linkage between market trends and products. The enhanced TRM is applied to analyze trends, capability, product, technology, research, and resources.The TRM-based strategic analysis reveals that Industry 4.0 will create both market pull and technology push driving the required characteristics of future EW Products. The market pull effects will drive future EW products to operate in a battlespace supporting Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and Decision Centric Warfare (DCW). Industry 4.0 will drive commercial demand for spectrum resulting in contested, congested, and shared spectrum. Advances in smart industries will facilitate prototype warfare and the Internet of Military Things (IoMT), increasing ad-hoc bespoke non-traditional threats. Traditional threats will support DCW supported by several unmanned platform concepts.Technology push effects will advance key technologies that will shape future EW products such as Artificial Intelligence (A.I), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), and Heterogeneous Processing. Finally, we conclude that the emergent properties of future EW products will be cognitive, distributed, networked, coordinated, multi-spectral, reduced size, weight, and power (SWAP), and modular using open architectures.
{"title":"Strategic Considerations of Industry 4.0 on Electronic Warfare using Technology Roadmaps","authors":"Reeshen Reddy","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570921","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570921","url":null,"abstract":"The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 is an ongoing industrial revolution brought about by several emerging technologies expected to disrupt most business sectors. The effect of Industry 4.0 on the Electronic Warfare (EW) sector is strategically analyzed using Technology Road Mapping (TRM). An enhanced TRM is proposed based on the fast-start TRM method that incorporates an additional military capability layer to assess the linkage between market trends and products. The enhanced TRM is applied to analyze trends, capability, product, technology, research, and resources.The TRM-based strategic analysis reveals that Industry 4.0 will create both market pull and technology push driving the required characteristics of future EW Products. The market pull effects will drive future EW products to operate in a battlespace supporting Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) and Decision Centric Warfare (DCW). Industry 4.0 will drive commercial demand for spectrum resulting in contested, congested, and shared spectrum. Advances in smart industries will facilitate prototype warfare and the Internet of Military Things (IoMT), increasing ad-hoc bespoke non-traditional threats. Traditional threats will support DCW supported by several unmanned platform concepts.Technology push effects will advance key technologies that will shape future EW products such as Artificial Intelligence (A.I), Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), and Heterogeneous Processing. Finally, we conclude that the emergent properties of future EW products will be cognitive, distributed, networked, coordinated, multi-spectral, reduced size, weight, and power (SWAP), and modular using open architectures.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"80 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121793367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2021-09-13DOI: 10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570889
Ezra Misaki
True agricultural development heavily relies on the promptness and relevance of the information accessed by small-scale farmers. In this regard, the application of e- Agriculture has a huge potential and pathway for agricultural development. e-Agriculture facilitates the exchange of farming information, ideas, and resources that if practiced can improve productivity and livelihood. Information exchanged improves small-scale farmers' decision-making in the agricultural value chain and hence pathway in welfare development. Despite this potentiality of e-Agriculture, the literature on the assessment of the level of farmers’ awareness of the technology in Mkuranga is scanty. Therefore, using a quantitative survey design to 63 small-scale farmers, focusing on the dimensions attitude, impact, social-cultural inhibitions of using mobile technology and competence in using mobile technologies, this study found out that 81.0 and 87.3 per cent of the respondents were unaware of the existence of e-Agriculture and information and communication technology projects in the study area. Further, 76.2 per cent of small-scale farmers studied opined that such projects could enhance agriculture in future if well established. The study also found that information and communication technologies such as M-Pesa, Tigo-Pesa, and AirTel money services positively impacted the farming business. The study also found out that the social-cultural aspect was not inhibiting the scaling up of technology usage in the rural sector. Moreover, it was found that the competencies of farmers were low, indicating the low awareness of the technology. Thus, the study's findings provide insights on enhancing the use of e-Agriculture in the farming business and policy formulation in the agricultural sector.
{"title":"Small-Scale Farmers’ Awareness of e-Agriculture: A Pathway for Livelihood Development in Mkuranga, Tanzania","authors":"Ezra Misaki","doi":"10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570889","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/africon51333.2021.9570889","url":null,"abstract":"True agricultural development heavily relies on the promptness and relevance of the information accessed by small-scale farmers. In this regard, the application of e- Agriculture has a huge potential and pathway for agricultural development. e-Agriculture facilitates the exchange of farming information, ideas, and resources that if practiced can improve productivity and livelihood. Information exchanged improves small-scale farmers' decision-making in the agricultural value chain and hence pathway in welfare development. Despite this potentiality of e-Agriculture, the literature on the assessment of the level of farmers’ awareness of the technology in Mkuranga is scanty. Therefore, using a quantitative survey design to 63 small-scale farmers, focusing on the dimensions attitude, impact, social-cultural inhibitions of using mobile technology and competence in using mobile technologies, this study found out that 81.0 and 87.3 per cent of the respondents were unaware of the existence of e-Agriculture and information and communication technology projects in the study area. Further, 76.2 per cent of small-scale farmers studied opined that such projects could enhance agriculture in future if well established. The study also found that information and communication technologies such as M-Pesa, Tigo-Pesa, and AirTel money services positively impacted the farming business. The study also found out that the social-cultural aspect was not inhibiting the scaling up of technology usage in the rural sector. Moreover, it was found that the competencies of farmers were low, indicating the low awareness of the technology. Thus, the study's findings provide insights on enhancing the use of e-Agriculture in the farming business and policy formulation in the agricultural sector.","PeriodicalId":170342,"journal":{"name":"2021 IEEE AFRICON","volume":"100 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122527066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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