Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of interconnected devices that collect and exchange
data. On the other hand, machine learning (ML) makes learning easier. The integration of IoT
with ML can create new potential for delivering innovative and essential applications to support
a variety of complicated and large-scale applications. This enables monitoring and automation of
agricultural activities. Soil quality management and crop prediction is focused, on designing and
implementation of a system that looks at the real-time detection of soil variables and the location
of chemical properties such as pH, humidity, temperature, and soil moisture utilizing an Arduino
Uno as a controller. Semi-supervised learning will be carried out in a systematic manner utilizing
learning algorithms capable of predicting which crop to grow.

Agriculture is Zimbabwe's principal industry. Agriculture is an important part of Zimbabwe's

economy, with 4,130,000 hectares of arable land. It is supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture
and accounted for 18% of Zimbabwe's GDP in 2015. Zimbabwe also contributes significantly to
the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in terms of food security. As a result, in
today's environment, increasing output or production is critical because when it comes to
determining certain chemical features of soil that have an immediate impact on plant growth,
traditional farming faces a number of challenges because it frequently involves monoculture,
which means growing the same crop year after year.This can result in nutritional deficiency and
increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. Another important element to consider is the impact
of timely water availability on plant output owing to climate change. Climate change has resulted
in unpredictable rainfall patterns, delayed commencement of rainy seasons, and rising
temperatures. These factors can have a considerable impact on crop water supplies. More so. Soil
alkalinity (pH) and electrical conductivity (EC) are important elements that affect crop output.
High soil EC levels can suggest excess salts, which can impede plant growth and diminish crop
yields. The soil alkalinity and electrical conductivity are measured using PH electrodes. Given
the constraints that restrict crop yields, soil quality management and crop prediction are
presented as an efficient strategy to boost crop yields.
This paper investigates current advances to agriculture using IoT and ML. Based on this
investigative study, major design and development objectives have been identified that will assist
farmers empower themselves by boosting agricultural production yield and resource
management. The goal of this proposal is to create and develop an automated system that will
benefit farmers. Unlike traditional farming, where the same crop is grown on the same field year
after year, the precise results provided by the machine learning algorithm sense lead to better
results, and different crops can be grown on the same field due to differences in information such
as nitrogen level, pH level, and moisture.
In conclusion, using IoT and machine learning into soil quality monitoring and crop prediction
can result in more efficient and sustainable agriculture operations. Future advancements to these
systems may include the addition of a camera module for early identification of crop diseases.
Chapter1
INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is the most important industry of the Zimbabwean economy. Agriculture in
Zimbabwe accounts for 18.1919% of the country's GDP and employs half of the workforce.
Farmers in this new era may employ technology to manage the difficulties of crop management
and water consumption. Farmers have gained access to cutting-edge technology and resources to
maximize their revenue as a result of the recent development of SaaS and cloud computing,
resulting in an increase in the number of discriminating consumers and unprecedented
temperature values. Unfortunately, many farmers still adopt conventional agricultural practices,
which results in low crop yields. Agriculture has been around in Zimbabwe for a long time.
Agriculture is one of Zimbabwe's most important occupations. Zimbabwe is a country with many
villages, hence a large proportion of the population works in rural areas. It is the most diverse
economic sector and contributes significantly to the country's overall development. More than
60% of the country's land is used for agriculture in order to support the needs of 14 million
people. As a result, embracing emerging agricultural technologies is crucial. Current agriculture
is primarily reliant on technology and focuses on increasing profits from selected hybrid crops,
which, in the long term, destroy soil physical and biochemical properties. This will generate
profits for our country's farmers. Prior crop forecasting and prediction were based on farmers'
expertise in a specific place. The crop is an important part of agricultural finance.
Meteorological, geographical, and financial concerns all have an impact on the harvest. Farmers
struggle to select when and what crops to cultivate. Farmers are confused of which crop to
produce, when and where to start, due to climate unpredictability.

In contrast, technology was ubiquitous, and people replaced mechanical equipment. Many
studies argue for the use of gadgets to collect data from various sources and transmit it to cloud
servers over Wi-Fi. The information gathered provides crucial insight into specific
environmental conditions that necessitate device care. Ecological management is insufficient and
inefficient for improving agricultural productivity. Several other elements have a large influence
on efficiency. Attacks on insects and rodents, for example, can be documented by spraying the
area with the appropriate insecticides and pesticides. Environmental conditions affect
agricultural productivity, production, and labor. I plan to do the following in science as a whole.
1. Utilize an IoT module to generate data on current soil parameters.
2. Utilize cloud storage to monitor application performance.
3. Become conscious of land production.
4. Planting forecast based on present conditions.
Together, IoT and machine learning can develop a smart system that can assist farmers in soil
management and crop prediction, among other benefits, such as minimizing water and fertilizer
waste, boosting crop quality and quantity. The goal of this proposal is to create and develop an
automated system that will benefit farmers. Unlike traditional farming, where the same crop is
grown on the same field year after year, the precise results provided by the machine learning
algorithm sense lead to better results, and different crops can be grown on the same field due to
differences in information such as nitrogen level, pH level, and moisture.

Background of the organization

The system will be created for Muchiso Inc. This is a corporation that offers technological
solutions, services, and support to clients in Zimbabwe. Muchiso Inc was created in 2020 by a
group of young entrepreneurs who intended to use technology to boost the country's productivity
and sustainability levels. Muchiso Inc key beliefs include leveraging technology to help its
clients achieve their business objectives. This includes creating software applications, managing
IT infrastructure, providing IT support, and giving IT consulting services. The values of this firm
include innovation, client satisfaction, integrity, and teamwork. They try to be on the cutting
edge of technology trends, provide high-quality services, uphold ethical business practices, and
cultivate a collaborative workplace. Muchiso Inc positions include software developers, IT
consultants, network administrators, data analysts, project managers, and IT support
professionals. These roles are usually divided into teams or departments based on their purpose
(e.g., software development team, IT support team).

PROBLEM STATEMENT
The problems that are being faced by famers and the agricultural sector in Zimbabwe are as
follows:
Lack of soil information:

Zimbabwean farmers face a lack of timely and trustworthy information on soil conditions,
including nutrient levels, pH, and moisture. This makes it difficult for them to choose the best
crops, fertilizers, and irrigation techniques for their fields. Furthermore, typical soil testing
procedures are expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, as farmers must collect soil
samples and submit them to laboratories for analysis.

Traditional farming:
Is it where the same crop is planted on the same field every year? The monoculture does not take
into account the weather. Weather is a constant wildcard in agriculture, but it is one of the most
crucial factors to consider for crop expression. The crop's prediction is the most difficult task in
the agriculture sphere. Famers or agriculturists often chose unfavorable crops without
considering weather hazards, resulting in crop losses and, in some cases, bankruptcies.

Inefficient crop management:

Many Zimbabwean farmers lack the equipment and expertise necessary to monitor and manage
crop growth and health, such as disease detection, insect control, weed control, drought
mitigation, and so on. This results in reduced harvest quality and quantity, as well as increased
losses and wastage. Furthermore, many farmers lack the market knowledge or network to sell
their goods at the highest prices, resulting in lesser income and profitability.
As a result of this issue, an efficient method of managing soil quality and crop prediction is
required to make up for these shortcomings. This project seeks to capitalize on the challenges
that Zimbabwean farmers face.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Aims
The proposed project aims to develop crop prediction and soil quality management strategies that
will support environmental health, maximize agricultural productivity, and advance sustainable
agriculture. These methods are essential to maintaining the sustainability of our ecosystems and
satisfying the world's expanding food demand. By boosting crop yields while reducing waste,
these technologies have the potential to revolutionize current agriculture and create more
resilient infrastructure and sustainable surroundings.

The main objective:

Is to design soil quality analysis and crop recommendation

Data on soil quality, including pH, moisture, phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen levels, will be
gathered by the system using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and sent to the cloud for
processing and storing. After that, the system will evaluate the data using machine learning
algorithms to suggest the best crop to plant.

The other specification objectives are as follows:

Management of Soil Quality:

 Soil Health Monitoring:

Utilize Internet of Things (IoT) sensors (soil moisture, pH, and NPK sensors) to identify soil
quality instantly.

 Analyze Soil Data:

To forecast soil health, feed real-time data from Internet of Things sensors into machine
learning models.

 Enhance Sustainability:

Improving soil management and land use systems' sustainability is the ultimate objective.
 Crop Prediction:

 Data Collection:

Gather information in real time regarding soil and ambient conditions using Internet of Things
(IoT) sensors.

 Analyze Data:

To forecast crop yields, feed this data into machine learning models such as k-nearest neighbors
(KNN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost).

 Boost Crop Yields:

Raising crop yields while reducing waste is the ultimate objective.

BENEFICIARIES
Farmers, academics, and policymakers in the agricultural industry can benefit from strategies
like as soil management and crop prediction that leverage IoT and machine learning. These
methods can assist in:

 Use sensors and data analytics, to monitor and assess the fertility and quality of the soil.
 Use machine learning algorithms to forecast the ideal agricultural yield and recommend
the best crop to produce depending on the soil and climate.
 To increase agricultural output and soil nutrient levels, suggest the right fertilizer and
irrigation techniques.

These methods can assist in addressing the issues of resource scarcity, climate change, and food
security as well as improving the productivity, sustainability, and profitability of agriculture.

HYPOTHESIS
The proposed system's hypothesis is that by combining IoT and machine learning, it will be able
to provide accurate and timely soil nutrient analysis, crop recommendation, crop growth and
yield prediction, crop management, and marketing support, thereby increasing farming
productivity and profitability in Zimbabwe. The solution will be developed using the following
tools or techniques:

System requirements
Software’s
Operating system: windows 11
Arduino ide
Arduino library for various sensors
MySQL sever with phpMyAdmin
Apache Server with PHP Parser
Pycharm idle with flask frame work

Programing languages
Python with flask
Html/css/php – front end
C++ for arduino idle

Hardware requirements
Operating system: windows 11
Processor: Intel duo 1.2 GHz or higher
Ram: 4GB or higher
Hard disk: min 40 GB free space

Iot requirements
Arduino Uno r3
NodeMCU ESP8266
DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor
Light intensity sensor
Soil moisture sensor
Soil ph sensor
Precipitation sensor
Jumper wires
Soldering gun
9v power adapter
Breadboard
JUSTIFICATION

The agriculture sector in Zimbabwe has various grounds for using the Internet of Things (IoT)
and Machine Learning (ML) in soil quality control and crop recommendation.

Optimal Resource Use:

IoT devices may capture real-time data on a variety of environmental variables, including
temperature, humidity, light intensity, and soil moisture. This data can be utilized to make
informed decisions about irrigation and fertilizer application, therefore maximizing the usage of
water and nutrients.

Improved Crop Yield:

Machine learning algorithms can examine data and estimate crop yields, leading to increased
productivity. This allows farmers to take proactive steps to increase crop yields.

Personalized crop recommendations:

To generate specific crop recommendations, ML models can take into account historical data,
regional weather forecasts, and soil conditions. This allows farmers to select crops that are more
likely to grow in their specific conditions.

Support for environmental sustainability:

These technologies can help to ensure environmental sustainability by optimizing resource
consumption and increasing crop yields. With improved soil quality monitoring and crop
prediction, farmers may adopt more sustainable agricultural practices that benefit the
environment over time.

Cost reduction:
Accurate predictions help to minimize the use of resources such as water and fertilizers, lowering
the overall cost of farming operations.

Data-Driven Decisions:
With real-time data from IoT sensors and other sources, farmers may make data-driven decisions
that boost efficiency and productivity.

Food Security:
these technologies can improve crop production efficiency and reliability, helping to address
global food security issues.

In conclusion, the integration of modern soil quality and crop prediction technology in
agriculture can change the industry by enhancing efficiency, lowering costs, and encouraging
sustainability.
CHAPTERS TO BE DISCUSSED

There are five chapters to be discussed, feasibility study, system analysis, system design,
implementation and testing. Feasibility study checks to see if the project is economically,
technically, legally and operationally feasible. System analysis identifies functional and non-
functional requirements for the system. System design; system models are designed and the
systems specifications are converted into an executable system. The next chapter is
implementation in which the best deployment strategy is selected and the final chapter is testing,
where the developed system is tested using unit, system and acceptance testing.

Conclusion

In conclusion soil quality management and crop prediction is a system that take real soil
components and use them to predict which type of crop to grow. It is highly efficient and precise
for collecting real-time temperature, pH sensor, and soil humidity data. These technologies will
assist farmers enhance agricultural yields and manage food production more effectively. It will
always help farmers receive more precise live feed from environmental temperature, soil
moisture, and specific pH value features found in the soil. The main benefit of this method is that
it can be applied to any soil productivity and provides a reliable plant forecast in the current
environment.