Ghana university to develop AI app to detect crop diseases
With the help of the computer webcam, the application can detect the type of crop disease and propose measures to mitigate crop losses
The computer science and informatics department of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has received funding for a project to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) application to detect pests and diseases of crops and eventual control.
The application, when completed, will detect diseases of four crops – maize, cassava, cashew and tomatoes – Patrick Kwabena Mensah, a senior lecturer at the department, said in an interview with the GNA in Sunyani.
Mensah is the principal investigator for the AI for Agriculture and Food Systems project.
The senior lecturer said the project is funded by the Kenya-based International Development Research Centre and is expected to be completed in 18 months. Six months have been completed already. The centre is also sourcing funds from Canada.
Completion stage
Mensah said the project is at the development phase and is expected to be completed by July. Farmers will be trained on how the application works in September.
Mensah explained the modalities of the application. He said images healthy and diseased parts of the four selected crops will be taken, then trained as an AI model. This will then be developed into a mobile application and installed on an android phone and iPhone operating system (iOS).
He further said a web application will also be developed. A farmer with access to a computer will pluck a leaf from a diseased crop, and with the help of the computer webcam, the application can detect the type of diseases.
Mensah said, with the mobile phone, when farmers notice that a crop has been infected or has an unusual appearance, they “have to take a picture of that part and the application will identify the disease affecting the crop and further prescribe environmentally friendly recommendations about how to control the specific disease.”
He said the team has noticed that most farmers either do not have phones and computers or their phones are not android/iOS-supported, hence as part of the project an “e-kiosk” will be set up in five communities in the pilot phase.
The “e-kiosk”, he said, will have a computer, mobile phone and an attendant to support farmers to detect diseases from their affected crops.
The senior lecturer said the application, when operational, will help boost crop production because it will ensure early detection of pests and diseases and propose measures to mitigate crop losses.
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