OpenPD – An App to help urban farmers and others
From the balcony of their apartments, to the backyards, and also small plots most urban dwellers grow crops and other plants.
Urban and Peri-urban agriculture is instrumental in providing food products such as grains, root crops, vegetables, mushrooms and also small animals like rabbits, goats, fish etc. as well as non-food items such as herbs, ornamental plants. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) does support urban and peri-urban agriculture.
Most urbanites farmers are perplexed when the crops they love fall prey to pests and diseases, for example caterpillars, slugs, aphids, powdery mildew. The OpenPD app for mobile phones in an excellent app to help in such situations.
What is the OpenPD App?
OpenPD is a mobile app that provides an on-the-filed and on-the-fly system for fast identification of plant pests and diseases. The app is based on open community and peer learning and is supported by partners within the European funded ICT frameworks.
The video below provides an easy explanation of what the OpenPD App is
Some easy steps to download and use the OpenPD
- Download the app freely in https://goo.gl/r0bwnx and discover its potential;
- Take or upload a photo with your smartphone, of the plant part affected by the pest and/or disease. Color photographs, clear (focused, without noise) and with good resolution are useful for subsequent use in this context;
- Describe the problem you are experiencing, based on photos and local conditions you had observed. A detailed and clear description will increase the speed and objectivity of the community answer;
- The community (forum) helps you as a user in pest and/or illness identification, by generating a discussion, requesting more detailed information or inviting other users to participate.
Support to the users of the app is available via the App blog website and the community of partners.
Sources: OpenPD Blog and website