Dubai UAE December 12 2022 – A new AI-powered mobile application was unveiled today by HE Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, during a ceremony at the International Center headquarters. Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).
Dr. The app, called Nabat, is a collaboration between ICBA and Spain. It is a collaboration between the University of Barcelona under a project entitled “Development of an easy-to-use mobile application for small farmers”.
Egypt Tunisia And the application, developed with the support of local partners in the UAE, is designed to assist smallholder farmers and extension specialists in detecting crop defects at early stages, reducing yield losses and improving incomes. tomato, 18 different common diseases affecting capsicum and cucumber can be identified. These cash crops are considered important for smallholder farmers who practice sheltered agriculture.
HE Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “This app is a prime example of how the power of technology can be harnessed to address concerns. In the face of rising challenges, we believe that technological interventions at the forefront of climate change can optimize agricultural practices, improve the quality and quantity of harvests, and dramatically improve the lives of farmers. The app allows them to make early diagnoses and save their crops at the click of a button. We believe it will prove to be a game-changer for the smallholder farmers it helps.”
Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, said, “Smallholder farmers are at the forefront of food security. They are the backbone of many agricultural nations, but they often have access to information about pests and diseases. We have developed this mobile application to bridge this gap and put knowledge in their hands.”
As part of the project, ICBA collected raw data from three countries to train an AI model developed by the University of Barcelona. The application was field tested and 414 smallholder farmers and extension specialists were trained and provided their feedback on the beta version between 2020 and 2022.
Dr. Jose Luis Araus, professor of plant biology at the University of Barcelona, said: “The future of a more efficient and ecologically friendly agriculture lies in technology and innovation. So we hope that small farmers and other agriculturalists across the region will see this application.”
Dr. Henda Mahmoudi, plant biologist and project leader at ICBA, said: “Crop disorders and pests are a major challenge for smallholder farmers in the Middle East and North Africa. Intelligent systems like this app can play an important role in prompt diagnosis and efficient and timely intervention.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, annual crop yield losses due to pests and diseases range from 20 to 40 percent worldwide. Plant diseases cost the global economy about US$220 billion annually, and insect infestations about US$70 billion.
Currently, Egypt, the application Customized for Tunisia and UAE. However, there are plans to upgrade and roll out the application in other countries in the future.
Arabic Provided in three languages – English and French – the application offers suggestions for solving each disease. It can be downloaded on Google Play and the web-based version can be accessed at https://drnabat.biosaline.org.
Press inquiries
Mr. Abdumutalib Begmuratov, ICBA: [email protected], or +971 55 9170029
About ICBA
The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world with a focus on marginal areas where 1.7 billion people live. It is salinity, Resource-efficient, best-suited for various regions affected by water scarcity and drought. Identify climate smart crops and technologies; Tested and introduced. Through its work, ICBA helps improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world.
www.biosaline.org
About the University of Barcelona
Closely linked to Barcelona and Catalonia, the University of Barcelona promotes traditional values of innovation, Combined with quality and inclusion.
The university is ranked among the top 200 Spanish universities in the world. It has 16 subjects; It has 10 affiliated centers and a doctoral school that runs all its academic programs. It includes Science Park, Science and Technology Center Service; 17 research institutes; It also has more than five hundred research groups and nearly six thousand researchers.
www.ub.edu
