Developing a user-friendly application for smallholder farmers for detection of plant disorders

Annual crop losses due to pests and diseases range between 20% and 40%, undermining rural livelihoods, national economies, and food security. Intelligent systems can help farmers make prompt in-situ diagnoses and facilitate effective response to plant diseases and pest attacks in their early stages.

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), in partnership with the University of Barcelona (UB), are developing a user-friendly application for smartphones that smallholder farmers can use to identify and address diseases and nutritional disorders in their crops, and thus minimize losses in their yields. The project targets farmers in four countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region where ICBA has ongoing projects, including Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Subsequently, the application will be rolled out in other countries where ICBA operates and beyond.

This training workshop will give insights and hands-on training on the application targeting farmers, experts and extension staff in the United Arab Emirates.

By the end of the training workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Learn about the role of innovation & technology in achieving global food security.
2. Understand the role of artificial intelligence in crop management and protection from diseases and insects infections.
3. Learn about the best control of diseases and pests under different farming systems.
4. Practice the use of a prototype of the application in the field.