Building agricultural networks of farmers and scientists via mobile phones: case study of banana disease surveillance in Uganda
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Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology
Abstract
An important challenge threatening agriculture in Africa is the difficulty to collect
timely data on disease spread and effectiveness of on-farm control methods. This study
served as a case study for assessing the viability of a participatory GIS (Geographic
Information System) to enable plant diagnostics network with field workers. The use of
mobile phone applications and a centralized database were integrated to provide a blueprint
for how a range of agriculture-focused field organizations can collect data, explain events,
predict outcomes, and adapt and refine strategies with more accurate, cost-efficient, and
timely information. Over the course of two months, 38 Community Knowledge Workers
(CKWs) using mobile phones, MTN Mobile Internet, and GPS devices collected 3,018
surveys documenting the presence/absence of three banana diseases: Banana Xanthomonas
Wilt (BXW), Fusarium Wilt (FW) and Banana Bunchy Top disease (BBTD) in Bushenyi and
Mbale districts in Uganda. Costs were saved by only mobilizing CKWs who then trained the
communities on methods of banana disease detection, preventative measures, and disease
control procedures; only when doubts over identification or control occurred did the IITA and
NARO technical team then prioritize visits. Although the CKWs provided an efficient and
cost effective information channel that can be leveraged to integrate the efforts of scientists
with the needs of rural communities, there were significant gaps in prior farmer knowledge
on the three targeted diseases, including how to identify or control them, despite extensive
awareness campaigns preceding this initiative. Factsheets used for reference following
training greatly improved CKW prior knowledge of disease recognition and control methods;
hence, 90% of the surveys conducted during the second month met the data quality standards
based on survey completeness, GPS accuracy, and quality of symptomatic plant photos.
There was significant and consistent demand by farmers for CKW services throughout the
pilot period. In-depth training and continuous support of CKWs is thus essential. The
technology infrastructure is scalable, and further integration of technology components
G.V. Nakato et al. Building agricultural networks via mobile phones
promises a customizable web-based tool for data collection, GIS analysis, information
dissemination and management of agriculture extension operations.
Description
Keywords
Banana disease, Community empowerment, Extension, Database, Mobile phone, Plant disease diagnosis
Citation
Gloria Valentine Nakato, Fenton Beed, Hein Bouwmeester, Idd Ramathani, Samuel Mpiira, Jerome Kubiriba & Saurin Nanavati (2016): Building agricultural networks of farmers and scientists via mobile phones: case study of banana disease surveillance in Uganda, Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology, DOI: 10.1080/07060661.2016.1230149