It's estimated that there are something around 500 million smallholder farmers in the world right now.
For both professional and amateur gardeners and farmers, sometimes it can be difficult to diagnose or treat a problem that you discover with the plants. Sometimes it's a challenge to be able to tell what the issue is and to know how best to deal with it.
That was until a new app came along that is helping both gardeners and farmers to save their crops, it's called the Plantix app.
The app, launched roughly 3 years ago, is able to carry out crop-damage diagnosis. And it was developed by a German startup known as PEAT (Progressive Environmental & Agricultural Technologies), that's now being used by farmers and gardeners in many different countries.
Those who use the app, are able to upload pictures of their affected crops, and the Plantix app is going to tell them how to deal with the problem. It helps to diagnose a variety of insects, funguses, viruses, bacteria, and more.
Gardeners and farmers in areas like Brazil, India, and North Africa, are turning to use this app more than 1 million times every month.
Roughly 30 percent of crop yields are estimated to be lost every year..
thanks to a variety of diseases or pests, and this app is trying to empower farmers to be able to do better. It's helping them to try and save those crops before they are lost. As more people use the app and upload their photos to the database, then it's assumed that the more efficient the tool is going to become over time.
There have already been hundreds of thousands of pictures that have been uploaded to the database for the app. And they've been able to use this information to help to identify main threats to specific agriculture regions. They are helping to improve both farming sustainability and efficiency overall.
Right now, Plantix is one of the fastest growing apps in India this year.
The app is free to download and those who post their images are also able to discuss things with an online community and share information about their farming and tips etc. Eventually, the company behind Plantix allegedly has plans to partner their technology with drones, so that drones will be able to fly overhead various crops and be able to assess the affected area. Drones are already being used to do this in certain parts of the world, helping to assess the conditions of crops.
One criticism of the app is that it allegedly promotes the use of pesticides quite frequently. One of the app's founders has admitted that by using the app that farmers and gardeners might use more pesticides but it's less likely that they will be using the wrong ones.
Pics:
Pixabay
PEAT via nanalyze.com
Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/40468146/machine-learning-helps-small-farmers-identify-plant-pests-and-diseases
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/opinion/blog/greg-miles-digital-farmer/introducing-plantix-plant-doctor-app/
http://www.nanalyze.com/2017/09/9-agtech-startups-artificial-intelligence/
https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/19/the-16-fastest-growing-apps-in-india/
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/fbmSthsTdL5TxJ6pB9oFCK/New-mobile-app-for-farmers-to-identify-crop-damage.html
https://steemit.com/farming/@doitvoluntarily/5-ways-that-drones-are-changing-how-we-farm
Wow ! How fantastic is that to have an app for that ! Haha ! I mean there's an app for everything, so why not this !! I will definitely be using it when I move , hopefully next summer to my property , once I get my small house built , fingers crossed !! Im planning on putting a big garden , it will be great to have fresh , pesticide free Vegetables right at my fingertips !! So yummy ! Thanks for sharing this information with us !👍👍👍✌💕💕
Very cool idea!
Smartfarmer app!
Is there any app against extreme weather? Maybe it's just a joke, we cannot change the weather. But I know weather engineering exists.
Its so amazing!
I am going to download the app rite now because I grow vegetable plants which die because of unknown disease. Thanks alot for the info!!!
My alter ego has also upped and resteemed !! Haha , great idea for an app!! 💕✌👍🌱🍅🍓🍉🌿🌾🌽
fantastic app but would like to see a focus on natural approaches to disease, insects, fert. etc.
with ya there!
This is good help for the smaller player else more end up taken by the conglomerates.
What a great app! Can't wait to test it in the field.
this intrigues me, we need more solutions and vision for sustainable futures
wow this app is just sick, it can be so so so usefull in many ways
Thanks for the great info ! I have spent so much time in the past researching my plant woes. Funny how it makes me want to say, It's ABOUT time, lol. All the great tech nowadays, then the apps come along later, this is one of those "What If" deals. So glad to see this, it will help everyone that knows about it !, Thank You so much !
Read More, Reason More ... JTS
This will actually help me as well , my dad has land back home and we plant crops and there is always problems . But now there's a solution
Big ideas become in big solutions. Thanks for your post.
Looks like a great app... is it specifically tailored to your geographical location?
Wonderful... Motivating and it makes me happy to see hard work and determination prevail. Love it. Followed...
That's great!
And about the pesticides, at least the use the right ones. So that is still a plus!
ya its great :)
This would be a great app! I'll try it! We never use pesticides, just natural methods to save our crop.
The biggest problem is not desease but extreme weather: spring frost while blooming, then hailstorms in June-July, then extreme drought. All of the peach and apricot was damaged by Easter frost and snow, and most of plums by hailstorm.
Nice bro,it's useful post👌👍
This app will halp farmers a lot
Wow the future is truly now. More crops! WOO
As a guy that comes from an agricultural country (uganda) ,am very glad to know about this app and am very sure that it is going to change our society . Thank u very much for sharing with us
it seems to me that this is a good application! I hope the farmers will benefit from this idea to preserve the whole harvest :)
if it can be created of course, and it will work well.
although in our time there is nothing impossible, I will not be surprised at anything :)
Wow nice post
Some apps are completely useless but this is not one of them! I think it's great, besides how it promotes pesticide.
As a gardener, I could really use something like this Plantix app. I do my best for the amount of experience I have but sometimes diseases and pests can really stump you, and you just don't know how to solve the problem.
This really opens my eyes about other possibilities a smart phone app similar to this one could be used. Just think of the possibilities... We could one day have apps that diagnose skin conditions like eczema, fungal infections, etc, or maybe even an insect bite identifier.
Great and as it sounds it might be a great tool to help the farmers and and within no time it will be a great tool to help the farmers in near future :)
Great story about a very useful app. 🐓🐓
So happy to read about this app this app should work a treat with my Lasagna no dig garden project @doitvoluntarily thank you for this gem I needed this today.