Survey of IoT Application Potential in Agricultural Monitoring Across Plateau State

The Internet of Things offers transformative potential for precision agriculture by enabling real-time monitoring of soil conditions, weather parameters, crop health, and irrigation systems, reducing input waste and improving yields. This study surveys the potential for IoT-based agricultural monitoring applications in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, assessing both the technological feasibility given available connectivity and the willingness of smallholder farmers to adopt such systems. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a structured survey of 180 farmers across the Jos Plateau agricultural belt, IoT connectivity feasibility measurements at ten representative farm locations, and interviews with six agricultural extension officers. Connectivity measurements assessed GSM signal availability and data throughput suitable for supporting low-power wide-area network IoT sensors. Results indicate that 73% of farm locations surveyed had adequate 2G GSM coverage for narrowband IoT transmission, though 4G LTE coverage was available at only 28% of locations. Farmer willingness to adopt IoT monitoring was moderate at 56%, with the primary barriers being high perceived cost, inadequate technical understanding, and insufficient extension service support for digital tools. The study finds that NB-IoT and LPWAN technologies represent the most appropriate connectivity approaches for Plateau State's agricultural terrain, offering low power consumption and extended range suitable for farm conditions. Recommendations include government-subsidized sensor kits, farmer digital training programs, and collaboration between agricultural development agencies and telecommunications operators. Keywords: IoT, precision agriculture, Plateau State, NB-IoT, smart farming.