An IoT-Based Virtual Fence System to Control population and Deter Quelea Birds Invasion using Automated Nets

Abstract

Quelea birds are small but highly intrusive birds that have become a menace in small grain farms. Previous researches has it that their extreme coordinated and destructive feeding behaviors can result in substantial crop and financials losses for small grain farmers in Zimbabwe, mostly commercial wheat farmers. Traditional methods of deterring and controlling the quelea birds’ population such as catch and consume have proven to be labour intensive, time consuming as well as costly. Some Zimbabwean wheat farmers leveraged on drone technology to scare and control the birds’ population through chemical control but these proved to be environmentally unfriendly as the chemicals might end up negatively affecting the ecosystem of the surrounding environment. The research is centered on the development of an IoT based virtual fence system to deter invasion and control quelea birds’ population using automated nets. The researcher aims to deliver an understanding of how innovative technologies such as virtual fencing, IOT and automated nets can be leveraged to address agricultural challenges caused by quelea birds to wheat farmers in Zimbabwe. The system comprises a network of linked sensors that form a virtual boundary to detect an invasion, automated nets, buzzer to deter flock and wireless network technology to send data to a central or cloud storage for future analysis and further development of the system. Ultrasonic sensors, ESP32 Microcontroller and wireless network technology were used in the development of the model. The IoT based virtual fence system to deter and control quelea birds’ population provides a cost effective, efficient and environmentally friendly solution to the quelea birds’ menace in wheat farms and ensuring food security for the country.