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Maryam bint Muhammad Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, announced the launch of a new application for smartphones that works with artificial intelligence, and is able to detect crop disturbances, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).
The “Doctor Nabat” application is the result of cooperation between ICBA and the University of Barcelona, Spain, within the framework of the project “Development of a smart, easy-to-use application for smallholder farmers to detect vegetative disorders.”
Developed with the support of local partners in the UAE, Egypt and Tunisia, the app is designed to help farmers and extension agents detect crop disturbances at early stages, thus reducing yield losses and improving incomes. The application is able to identify 18 common agricultural pests that affect tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. These crops are important for small farmers who grow their crops in greenhouses.
Al-Muhairi said that the application is a fundamental example of how to harness the power of technology to address urgent concerns and contain the ever-increasing challenges, foremost of which is climate change, considering that constructive technological interventions will certainly improve agricultural practices, enhance the quality and quantity of agricultural harvest, and in particular improve the lives of farmers, and provide them with diagnosis. Early to disturb plants with the click of a button and help them save their crops.
In turn, Dr. Tarifa Al-Zaabi, Director General of ICBA, explained that farmers who own small agricultural projects occupy a leading position in the field of food security, as they represent the backbone of many agricultural economies, but they often lack the ability to access information related to pests and diseases. This prompted the center to develop a phone application that would bridge the information gap among farmers.
ICBA collected preliminary data from the three countries to provide the artificial intelligence model with it after it was developed by the University of Barcelona. The application was field tested and trained 414 farmers who own small agricultural projects and specialists in agricultural extension who provided their feedback on the pilot version during the years 2020-2022. .
Dr. Jose Luis Araus, a professor of plant physiology at the University of Barcelona, said that the future of more efficient and environmentally friendly agriculture lies in technology and innovation, calling on farmers who own small agricultural projects to resort to these modern applications.
Dr. Hendah Al-Mahmudi, a plant physiologist and project leader at ICBA, said that pests and crop disturbances pose a major challenge for farmers who own small agricultural projects in the Middle East and North Africa, so smart systems can play a crucial role in conducting prompt diagnosis of plant disorders and taking effective measures. right on time.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the annual loss of crop production due to plant pests and diseases ranges from 20-40% globally..Each year, plant diseases cost the global economy an estimated $220 billion in losses, while losses from infections are insects at least 70 billion dollars.
