Dubai recently introduced a cutting-edge AI-driven mobile app, named Dr. Nabat, designed to detect crop disorders effectively. The unveiling ceremony, led by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, took place at the headquarters of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).
Developed through a collaborative effort between ICBA and the University of Barcelona, Spain, under the project “Developing a user-friendly mobile application for smallholder farmers to detect plant disorders,” this innovative app marks a significant milestone in agricultural technology.
Dr. Nabat emerges as a result of cooperative efforts with local partners in Egypt, Tunisia, and the UAE. Tailored to assist smallholder farmers and extension specialists, the app’s primary focus is to identify common disorders affecting crops like tomato, capsicum, and cucumber. These cash crops hold immense importance for smallholder farmers engaged in protected agriculture.
Minister Almheiri emphasized the app’s role as a technological solution in addressing critical agricultural concerns. With climate change as a pressing challenge, leveraging technology becomes pivotal in optimizing agricultural practices, improving crop yields, and ultimately enhancing farmers’ livelihoods.
Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Director General of ICBA, highlighted the significance of empowering smallholder farmers with access to crucial information about pests and diseases. This mobile application aims to bridge the information gap and equip farmers with knowledge and tools vital for crop protection.
In the project’s course, ICBA collected extensive data from Egypt, Tunisia, and the UAE to train the AI model, developed by the University of Barcelona. The field-testing involved training 414 smallholder farmers and extension specialists who provided valuable feedback on the beta version from 2020 to 2022.
Dr. Jose Luis Araus, a professor at the University of Barcelona, emphasized the pivotal role of technology and innovation in steering agriculture towards efficiency and eco-friendliness. The hope is to see widespread adoption of this application among smallholder farmers across the region.
Dr. Henda Mahmoudi, project lead at ICBA, highlighted the critical challenge posed by crop disorders and pests to smallholder farmers in the Middle East and North Africa. Intelligent systems like Dr. Nabat are envisioned to facilitate prompt diagnoses and effective actions.
Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations underscore the substantial annual losses in crop production globally due to pests and diseases. With plant diseases costing around US$220 billion and invasive insects approximately US$70 billion annually, this app addresses a critical need in agriculture.
Although currently tailored for Egypt, Tunisia, and the UAE, plans are underway to upgrade and expand the application’s availability to other countries in the future. This innovative technological leap aims to transform agricultural practices and empower farmers across various regions.