USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY TO ALLOW PRECISION AGRICULTURE IN THE THIRD WORLD Case Study: Senegal, West Africa Abdoulaye Samba Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

SENEGAL, WEST AFRICA  Population: 12,643,799  Total area: 196,722 sq km  Land: 192,722 sq km  Water: 4,192 sq km  Slightly smaller than South Dakota  Climate  Tropical  Hot, humid  Rainy season (May-November)  Strong southeast winds  Dry season (December to April)

AGRICULTURE IN SENEGAL  Most of farms are located in the drought prone Sahel region  Irregular rainfall  Poor soil  Farmers produce for subsistence need  Cash crop  Sugar cane  Peanut  Cotton  A wide variety of fruits and vegetable is grown for local and international markets

AGRICULTURE IN SENEGAL Corn Blue– production Green– demand Orange– retail

IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY  Reliable energy is key to development, education, and medical care  Energy is important for the enhancement of rural production and food security through:  Land preparation  Fertilization  Irrigation  Agro-processing  Conservation  Water purification and Distribution  Commercial and Industry Application  Communication

ENERGY IN SENEGAL  No fossil fuel resources  Importing fuels = $$$$  Power grid only services cities  Solar panels are available but with very low efficiency  Multiple power outage

SOLUTION  Electrical energy production  Photovoltaic  Wind  Fuel cell  Biomass and biodiesel  Diesel generators  Electrical energy storage  Batteries  Flywheel  Compressed air  Hydrogen

SOLUTION  Financial Considerations  Power generation system should cost $  Price target should include a fair value return to manufacturer  Money for research and development is available  NGO  Foundations funding

BIOGAS  Turn manure into energy  Anaerobic Bacteria  Glucose to methane and CO 2  Pilot projects are using the methane produced in waste treatment plants and landfill sites to produce electricity

PRECISION AG IN SENEGAL  Farmer practices are plant by plant management  Although does not improve yield  Traditional agriculture  Farmers need to be educated  Fertilizer application  Weed control  Post harvest management  Once the energy problem is solved  Mechanism agriculture  Precision agriculture technology can be introduced