Smartphone app monitors weather, soil, and crop diseases for 13,000 farmers
For a farmer, the weather can change plans from one hour to the next. Rain arriving too early can disrupt a treatment, while a lack of water can affect the entire harvest. That is why more and more farmers are seeking solutions to better understand field conditions. One such solution is an app that delivers weather, soil, and crop status information directly to their phones. This data can help them choose the right time for agricultural operations and avoid unnecessary expenses.
The app idea grew out of farmers' need for real-time data on field conditions. This information helps them decide when to carry out treatments, apply fertilizers, or harvest. The platform already has 13,000 users and offers weather forecasts, drought and disease information, and AI-powered tools. The platform collects data from devices installed in the fields.
"We have a great many modules developed here, with others currently in the works. We have a sowing conditions feature—a tool that illustrates the mobile app's logic: you select a crop during the sowing season—say, chickpeas—and with a single click, the app tells you whether or not to sow," explains Sergiu Smocinschi, the platform's creator.
Andrei Frunză is an agronomist at a wine-producing company with 38 hectares of vineyards. He says the app allows him to quickly check weather and soil conditions and decide when work or treatments are needed.
"With today's climate, you can expect anything. We started spraying, got caught in the rain, and had to repeat the process. The app helps us forecast periods for disease control, and if we have soil moisture sensors, we can also schedule our irrigation," says agronomist Andrei Frunză.
The app also includes an AI-based module that can identify plant diseases.
"The module informs us that it has detected downy mildew on the vines and provides a brief overview of the disease; below, we have a list of recommended products available in the Republic of Moldova. Another module covers disease forecasting; based on these forecasts, we provide information on when an infection is likely to begin," explains Sergiu Smocinschi.
Grants totalling over $400,000 supported the application's development. Recently, the developer secured an additional $300,000 from the United Nations Office for Project Services—funds that will be invested in a digital map of the country's soil moisture.
