A Sustainable Location-Allocation Model for Solar-Powered Pest Control to Increase Rice Productivity

Abstract

Insect attacks are a very complicated problem in rice cultivation that cause a decrease in rice productivity. It is very important to not use pesticides to kill pests due to environmental and health issues. This study aimed to solve the pest problem by installing solar-powered pest-control technology using waves of ultraviolet light and ultrasonic sound (UVUS, the name of the product). The development of UVUS involved not only innovation from startups but also the adaption of existing technologies such as batteries, solar panels, and sensors. A location-allocation model has been developed in accordance with a flower pollination algorithm (FPA) and sustainability considerations to solve the problem of rice productivity using the innovative technology of solar-powered pest control. The mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) approach was used to determine the number of UVUS required to minimize the areas missed by the ultraviolet light and ultrasonic sound. Numerical analysis of a case study of Delanggu Village showed that the model can be used to determine the number of UVUS required to only miss a certain minimal area. The results show that the proposed model can be applied to solve pest control and can provide promising economical, social, and environmental outcomes.