Assessing Traditional Composting Monitoring Limitations to Inform Real-Time IoT-Based Monitoring: A Feasibility Study at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming
Hawanatu Kabba-Bangura – Department of Information Technology, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
John Tarus – Department of Information Technology, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Nicholas Kiget – Kenya Highlands University, Kenya
David Gichoya – Department of Information Technology, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya
Email: hawanatukabbabangura@gmail.com
Abstract: The rapid urbanization in developing countries has increased the volumes of municipal solid waste, wherein 40%–70% is organic waste. Whereas composting is one of the sustainable methods used to treat organic waste and for climate mitigation, its effectiveness can slow down due to poor monitoring practices. Traditional composting practices at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming rely mainly on traditional monitoring, resulting in inconsistent compost quality, inefficient decomposition, and limited capacity to track or reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The purpose of this study is to assess the limitations of current composting practices at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming in terms of monitoring accuracy, parameter consistency, and GHG estimation capability as a foundational step toward designing a real-time IoT monitoring system. A case study design was employed. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 20 composting practitioners at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming using purposive sampling. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Spearman rank-order correlations, and qualitative data from each question’s responses were subjected to inductive thematic coding. The findings revealed that moisture imbalance and temperature instability were the main operational challenges. Respondents strongly agreed that traditional monitoring is insufficient, and a chi-square test confirmed that these perceptions are universal across composting technologies. The study concludes that traditional monitoring constitutes a systemic limitation at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming, regardless of the composting technology used. The study recommends accelerating the adoption and implementation of IoT-based real-time monitoring systems.
