The Problem
The Green Innovation Centre India supports small-scale farming enterprises and rural entrepreneurs to increase the income out of their work. This is done through advising on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and piloting new innovations in the region. However, old-fashioned paper-based and one-on-one training programs have a low impact on improving uptake of new agricultural methods.
The Solution
SmartFarming (a Resilience network company) has developed an Android app for real-time customized advice. The SmartFarming Potato India app is developed for smallholder potato farmers in India. The app is optimized for farmers in the Green Innovation Centre projects implemented in the states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. The commissioner of this project is the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The app is developed in close collaboration with the local partner ETC Consultants India Pvt Ltd (ETC). All agronomic content and recommendations were prior tested and approved through participatory technology development with farmers. Features of the app include; calculation tools for irrigation and fertilizer needs; tailored day-to-day advice; picture based identification of crop stress; weather-based preventive Blight spraying alert for potato farmers
The Impact
An easy to use app provides farming households with up-to-date, personalized, offline and practical information. In this way, farming becomes more profitable.