Theme 1: Rural Distributed Theme 1: Rural Distributed Services and ApplicationsServices and Applications

WP 1: Agriculture Disease Mitigation WP 1: Agriculture Disease Mitigation and Advisory Systemand Advisory System

31st May &1st June 2011University College London, UK

Kavitha Karthikeyan

TeaTeamm

IIT Madras, ChennaiUniversity of Bristol, BristolTamilnadu Agriculture

University, CoimbatoreNational Agro Foundation,

KanceepuramErode Precision Farm

Producer Company Limited, Erode

Dharmapuri Precision Farmers Agro Services Limited, Dharmapuri

Industrial partner: Uniphore, Chennai

PartnePartnersrs

Kavitha Karthikeyan

Roopa. PSuma Prashant

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements Swarna. S Annailakshmi. L T Rose Meena Sathishkumar. M Suresh. A Shanmugapriya. T

P Prabakaran. B

Ideated & Ideated & Mentored byMentored byDr. Ashok Dr. Ashok JhunjhunwalaJhunjhunwala

BackgrouBackgroundnd

• Traditional farming• Farmer had considerable knowledge of the agricultural

practices• The practices coupled with traditional wisdom had taught

him to promptly deal with problems in farming• Modern Scientific farming

• The farmer lost complete control of traditional farming• Has meager knowledge of new seeds, inputs, new crops,

new technologies in current farming practices. • He largely depends upon the agricultural extension

system to provide these inputs.• Extension services

• Good understanding of modern new farming practices• But they have no knowledge of the specific farm-plot.

Farmer: How to promptly deal with modern scientific farming?

Extension workers: How to provide specific solutions for specific problems?

Information gapInformation gap

NeedNeedHow to overcome the information

gap?Can we learn from other fields

and apply concepts/models ?

Modern Call Modern Call CentreCentre

Can this model be applied for agriculture?

Features◦ Person at the call centre

doesn’t know anything about the customer

◦ Yet he is able to handle the calls and complaints

◦ Provided with complete details, history, past interactions of the customer and also with FAQs about the products and services

◦ When the customer calls the right information pops up and helps the person to promptly deal with specific questions to specific solutions

◦ In case if the person is unable to solve the query, its escalated to experts to be answered.

Agriculture advisory call Agriculture advisory call centercenter

Details of farmer and the farm, images, previous crop history, previous interactions, FAQs available for the extension worker at the call centre

On a farmer calling the farmer’s Dashboard pops up and with the help of the FAQs the extension worker is able to provide farm-plot specific advisory.

In case if the problem is new and FAQs doesn’t have the right solution, the query is escalated to experts - Multiparty conferencing

How is the Farmer registration How is the Farmer registration done?done?

Mobile application *English GPS device

One farmer can have multiple plots

DashboardDashboard

Farm plot Farm plot

Farm topography is measured using GPS device and captured on a GIS platform

Proposed Working ModelProposed Working Model

RTBI Agriculture

NAIPGovt. of

Tamil NaduManage KVKs

Challenges Challenges Uploading

imagesData updation

through voice

Process Process Farmer registers Uploads images on

finding disease or pest infestation

Calls the extension worker

Dashboard pops up Advices specific to

the problem

How is the data updation to How is the data updation to be done?be done?

Crop updates Crop growth stages

Image updatesDuring Advisory

Growth stages - voice call to the farmers

Uploading images – Train the farmers

DCommon query

Calls

IF

IF

Calls back

Within an hour

Dis

conn

ects

cal

l

Manual Advisory system in Manual Advisory system in progress progress

Working since last three months

FAQs

Reach by the system – District Reach by the system – District wisewise

Status as on 15th May 2011

System at Work System at Work

Status as on 15th May 2011

EffectivenEffectivenessess

Challenges – Trying to address Expert - Use the dashboard effectively Reduce the time to revert back Quality of the services – time, regular follow up 208 farmers to 1200

Out of 585 queries, 79% for pest and diseases

Farmers’ Farmers’ SpeakSpeak

Paneerselvam: I asked query related to pest attack in paddy. I got the advisory specific to my crop problem. I followed the instructions and my crop is safe now.Query ID: 272Date: 2011-01-19 13:83:45Diagnosis: Infestation of stem borer in Paddy ADT 37Advisory: Spray Acephate 200gm per acre

Gavaskar: This system is very useful for us. After getting involved in the system and using it, my crops are in good condition and I am very happy with the system.Query ID: 339Date: 2011-02-03 15:20:16Diagnosis: Paddy, ADT 37, 45 days, leaves white, flies white, shoot yellow larvaAdvisory: Spray Monocrotophos 400ml per acre and Bavistin 400gm per acre

HighlighHighlightsts

208 Farmers have availed the services

585 queries have been addressed36 hours of advisory in the last 3

months3 Feedback workshops organized

◦October 5, 2010 @ Dharmapuri attended by 48 farmers

◦March 8, 2011 @ Kancheepuram attended by 39 farmers

◦April 28, 2011 @ Erode attended by 437 farmers

CollaboratioCollaborationnUniversity of Bristol

◦Color Correction ◦Automatic Detection of Diseases –

preliminary stage

Sample images have been sent to University of Bristol and study is in progress

Once its done, it will be linked with the database

PublicatioPublicationsnsSubmitted journal

◦"IU-ATC Theme Articles for a special issue of the ICTACT journal on Communications technology (IJCT)“

◦Journal accepted Abstract submitted to CPR South

(Dec 2011) – response awaited

Research questionsResearch questions

User interface and the extension worker◦ How well trained should be the extension

worker to provide high quality service?◦ How many clicks on the Dashboard is required?◦ How many screens pops up on the Dashboard?◦ Are the FAQs effective?◦ Will the extension worker be able to handle the

screens and clicks and also handle the calls?◦ Are the information available on the Dashboard

relevant or not relevant?

Research questions Research questions (Contd.)(Contd.)Scaling up and business model

◦ What will be the cost of each interaction?◦ If an expert is to be consulted what will be

the cost and time to revert?◦ How and who will pay for the services?

Cost added to agri inputs Subscription charges that the farmers

subscribes for the services Will the farmer pay? How much? Will Government subsidize? To what extent?

What mechanism?

Way forwardWay forwardEnd of June 2011

◦1200 registered farmers◦Automatic call centre set up

Next three months◦Voice automation for updation ◦Training to farmers to upload images◦Address the research questions

Thank You