TWO NEW ANDROID PHONE APPS
TO IMPROVE PHIL. AGRICULTURE
By Manny Piñol
Young Filipino information
technology experts have developed two new Android phone apps which when
installed will give Filipino farmers access to any information about plant and
animal diseases and the weather forecast, and also guide him on where to sell
his products or buy his farm supplies.
The first Android Phone
Apps, which I suggested should be called "FarmHelp" is being
developed by the same group which developed PureForce, also a phone apps which
is being used for emergency and rescue operations now.
"FarmHelp" is
designed to fit the new program of the Dept. of Agriculture now to update its
technology transfer and information dissemination.
Using Android Phones with
the "FarmHelp" apps, a farmer can have access to a 24/7 answering
program which would respond to his request for him in identifying the disease
affecting his farm by simply taking a picture of the plant and sending it to
the DA "FarmHelp" desk.
Experts will then analyse
the disease using the photo and respond to the farmers within 24 hours.
The key to the success of
the program is an automatic geo-tagging which will immediately pinpoint the
exact location of the farmer sending the message.
Thus, if the complaint is
about a damaged irrigation canal, DA responders could immediately dispatch a
regional team to the area.
The second Android Phone
Apps is being developed by a team led by young agribusiness entrepreneur Joseph
Calata, whose corporation Agri is involved in the establishment of a chain of agricultural
supply stores all over the country.
Named "Krops," the
Calata-inspired Android Phone Apps will assist the farmer or the buyer of the
farmers' products access to information on who is buying, who is selling, how
much, and the location of the buyer or the seller.
In a brief meeting last
week, Calata showed me how "Krops" works.
Pressing a commodity icon
which showed eggs, the "Krops" Apps immediately asked
"Buying?" or "Selling?"
When he pressed
"Selling," the location of the buyers near the location of the
"farmer" was immediate shown on the screen including the complete
address, the volume required and the buying price.
"Krops" is the
perfect answer to the problem bedevilling the Filipino agricultural producer
who has always been at the mercy of the middlemen and the traders.
His lack of information on
the buyers and the price of his products has made Philippine agriculture a
one-sided affair of a buyer's market where the traders dictate the price
leaving the farmer at the losing end of the transaction.
The DA will acquire both
Apps which are being offered for just a modest fee because I, as Secretary of
Agriculture, believes that these two major innovations in information
technology could revolutionize Philippine agriculture.
Imagine, a few months from
now, a farmer who cannot diagnose the disease of his chicken could just take a
picture of the fowl's physical appearance or the poo of the chicken to get a
diagnosis from a veterinarian who could recommend the appropriate medication.
Also, if a hog raiser wanted
to know who would be interested to buy his hogs and at what price, he could
just use his Android Phone and press "Krops" and he gets all the
information he needs.
After these, Philippine
agriculture will never be the same again.
#Changeishere!
#PresRodyCares! #DuterteDelivers! #BiyahengBukidRocks!
