A digital tool developed by PT Mitra Sejahtera Membangun Bangsais aims to help farmers in Indonesia deal with climate change.
RiTx Bertani enables farmers to record all agricultural activity so they can schedule the next fertilizer or pesticide application. Farmers can also ask for additional assistance through an online forum.
One farmer user said the app helped him detect and identify rice diseases and now knows the appropriate control methods to use.
Read the full story at Inter Press Service
More on agricultural apps:
Digital agriculture and pathways out of poverty: the need for appropriate design, targeting, and scaling
Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionize agriculture and transform the sector and rural livelihoods. The integration of digital technology in agriculture can potentially lead to the modernization of the sector through better connected, informed farmers who have access to new information and markets while reducing hardships and ultimately improving their livelihoods. Agricultural researchers and implementers are actively developing new tools and solutions in agriculture that leverage digital technologies. For digital agriculture to deliver on its promise of increasing farmers’ yields and incomes, it is critical to design interventions that consider the target populations’ needs and constraints and to assess whether a digital technology solution is appropriate.
From Warige to WeRise: better water management is coming to rainfed rice areas of Indonesia
WeRise, a weather-rice-nutrient integrated decision support system for rainfed rice areas, is an online ICT tool developed by the International Rice Research Institute-Japan Collaborative Research Project. This system uses a seasonal-weather forecast that provides farmers with crucial weather information such as the start and end of the rainy season and rainfall distribution during the crop growing season. It also advises farmers when to sow and transplant, what variety is appropriate to use, and how to apply fertilizer efficiently.
An app to help African rice farmers beat weeds
Weeds are serious constraints to rice production in sub-Saharan Africa across all rice environments and are the biggest drain on farm resources. Annual weed-inflicted yield losses in rice in Africa are conservatively estimated at 842,000 tons (paddy) under irrigated conditions, 756,000 tons under rainfed lowland conditions, and 648,000 tons under rainfed upland conditions, amounting to at least USD 1.5 billion per year.
