Agricultural mobile apps strengthening agricultural extension
CABI’s range of agricultural mobile apps provides a way for smallholders to access up-to-date, real-time information, either first-hand or through advisory services. Smallholder farmers across the world need access to agricultural advice so their crops are less susceptible to pests and diseases. Extension and advisory service workers are important for communicating science-based solutions with communities,…
Introducing the “AI Plant Doctor” at the AI Innovation Hub, Vietnam
The application of a Plant Doctor using artificial intelligence – known as the AI Plant Doctor – by BOM Software in collaboration with CABI was introduced to delegates at the exhibition of the launching ceremony of the AI Innovation Hub Incubation Center on October 3rd in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The event was organized…
Artificial Intelligence in Africa: Google’s new AI centre in Ghana
Google’s first artificial intelligence (AI) lab in Africa has opened in Accra, Ghana. The tech giant aims to support researchers with the tools and environment necessary to develop AI products to solve numerous problems faced across the continent within the agriculture sector.
“With the Plantwise Factsheets Library app, I am complete”
In the Kabwe District of Zambia, Adamson Andrew Tembo is the acting senior agricultural officer (SAO) working with the Ministry of Agriculture. He is trained as an agricultural engineer and his role has been as an irrigation engineer. He was transferred to Kabwe District in January 2017 and assumed the role of SAO in July…
Plant doctors share advice using WhatsApp and Facebook in Central America
by Erica Chernoh and Eduardo Hidalgo, CABI Haga clic para la versiĂłn español de abajo The software application WhatsApp is being used by plant doctors in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras to provide and receive plant diagnostic support. WhatsApp has proven to be popular in many countries, because it is a free communication tool…
Pest management advice in person, in print, on mobile…what next?
If you take a look at a Plantwise pest management decision guide (PMDG) on the Knowledge Bank, it probably won’t look much different to how it looked before. However, under the covers, this PDF has been created in a completely different way to before. This is because we are now storing each part of the PMDG…
Sri Lankan plant doctors launch e-plant clinics
24 June marked the launch of the first e-plant clinics pilot in Sri Lanka. Experienced plant doctors from ten plant clinics in Nuwara Eliya district came together to learn how tablet computers could enhance the current Permanent Crop Clinic Programme (PCCP) led by the Plant Protection Service, Department of Agriculture. Plant doctors learnt: how electronic data collection…
Mocking up the Plantwise Knowledge Bank
This blog post is different to those you might usually read on the Plantwise blog. It is a little tour behind the scenes of the Plantwise Knowledge Bank, telling you about how we design features for our website and mobile. Let us know if you’re interested in hearing more about how we develop the Knowledge…
Mobile data collection – can it work in Tamil Nadu, India?
Over the past year, the Plantwise Knowledge Bank team has been conducting an e-plant clinic pilot in Kenya. Following the success of this pilot, we are now seeing if we can apply the lessons learnt in Kenya to other Plantwise countries. In December, we travelled to Thanjavur city, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India,…
International Women’s Day 2014: Women in agriculture
I would like to acknowledge Abigail Rumsey, Claire Curry, Emily Palmer and LĂ©na Durocher-Granger for their contributions to this blog post. For over a century countries globally have celebrated International Women’s Day as a day to reflect on the role of women in society. In honor of International Women’s Day 2014 we are giving a…