“Is that late blight?” Don’t know? There’s an App for That

For decades, farmers have relied on the knowledge and insights of agriculture extension agents to improve their harvests. Yet in many remote or underserved regions in Africa, this advice is not always available. That is until now thanks to the development of a virtual service developed by CIP and Plant Village.

“Is that late blight?” Don’t know? There’s an App for That

For decades, farmers have relied on the knowledge and insights of agriculture extension agents to improve their harvests. Yet in many remote or underserved regions in Africa, this advice is not always available. That is until now thanks to the development of a virtual service developed by CIP and Plant Village.

Potatoes are an important crop in Africa, particularly in countries like Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, where they are a significant source of income for smallholder farmers. However, potato yields in the region could be higher, with many farmers needing help to produce enough to meet their needs and sell to markets.

The International Potato Center (CIP) has partnered with Plant Village, an agriculture data platform that acts like a virtual extension agent, providing farmers with tailored information and real-time advice on growing and managing their crops. CIP provides data from it’s mobil app Nuro. The partnership will help them to increase their potato production, a staple food source of income for many families in Africa, which in turn will improve agro economics across the continent. The app, available for free download, offers information on weather patterns, soil health, pest outbreaks, and advice on crop management and post-harvest handling.

“In areas where extension services are limited like Kenya, farmers often lack knowledge about different plant diseases affecting their crops,” said Mathew Korir, part of Plant Village in Kenya.

“This app fills this gap by helping farmers to learn about various disease symptoms. Using the app, they can easily differentiate between diseases and receive accurate management and control information.”

To access more specific advice, farmers can upload photos of their crops and receive customized advice on managing any issues they are experiencing. The app also includes a feature that allows farmers to connect with buyers and markets, helping them to sell their produce directly and earn better prices.

“In one instance, a group of farmers learned to diagnose late blight in their potato plants by using the app,” said Korir. “This was a new concept for them since they couldn’t differentiate between early and late blight symptoms. We trained them how to use it to get recommendations on immediate control measures like removing and burying affected plants to prevent disease spread.”

CIP provides technical support and expertise to the partnership, drawing on its extensive experience in potato research and development.

“The AI that drives this app needs to be trained, and it takes quite a bit of effort to do this for every disease,” said Jan Kreuze, CIP Crop and Systems Science Division Leader and collaborator with Plant Village. “We’ve been validating the app for late blight, early blight, and viruses, and I think it does a really good job. Now we need to tweak it for other diseases.”

The partnership demonstrates the potential of technology and agronomy to transform agro economics in Africa. By providing farmers with access to real-time information and advice, and connections to markets, the app can help improve their livelihoods, strengthen their food security and resilience, and contribute to the development of their communities.

“We’ve established that AI is twice as accurate as humans in diagnosing pests and diseases,” said David Hughes, Dorothy Foehr Huck, and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Global Food Security at Penn State University and founder of Plant Village. “Primarily the app is an educational tool. People at CIP train it and then we build upon that. As the farmers use it in the field this generates more data that further refines the AI so that it can give more accurate results. The farmers learn from it too.”

Plant Village and CIP are now working to expand the use of the app to other countries in Africa, including Rwanda and Uganda, where potato production is also a significant source of income for smallholder farmers.

As the world faces increasing challenges from climate change and population growth, innovative and sustainable solutions to produce food and equitably support smallholder farmers even in the remotest areas are critical. Innovations like this app developed by CIP and Plant Village that harness the latest digital developments and build capacity in its use are a step toward ensuring that no one is left behind.

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