Acoustic Devices for Agricultural Monitoring (ADAM)

This project is investigating the use of passive acoustic sensors for monitoring agricultural activities in Rwanda. One potentially important use of sound is to detect the presence of birds that may be harming crops, so that a deterring action might be taken to scare away birds. A low-cost network of acoustic sensors might give the farmer the ability to collect and analyze sound information about their farm, and thereby improve yields.

An Internet of Things (IoT) prototype system for detecting known pest bird sounds has been built and tested. The system works on solar charged batteries, can distinguish among pest birds and beneficial birds, and sends a message to a farmer's phone when detections are made. The detection module relies on compact algorithms that do not require extensive computing power.

The complete prototype system has been successfully tested in the field. This success includes the main system components of multiple nodes, edge detection, actuation, solar power, and user communication. Further work on developing efficient edge detection techniques is ongoing.

Figure 1: (a) The prototype setup on the PCB board minus speaker. (b) Prototype deployment in the field with solar power to recharge the battery.

References

[1] Amenyedzi, D. K., Kazeneza, M., Mwaisekwa, I. I., Nzanywayingoma, F., Nsengiyumva, P., Bamurigire, P., Ndashimye, E., and Vodacek, A. System design for a prototype acoustic network to deter avian pests in agriculture fields. Agriculture 15, 1 (2025).
[2] Amenyedzi, D. K., Kazeneza, M., Nzanywayingoma, F., Nsengiyumva, P., Bamurigire, P., Ndashimye, E., and Vodacek, A. Rwandan farmers’ perceptions of the acoustic environment and the potential for acoustic monitoring. Agriculture 15, 1 (2025).