Upgraded CABI Plantwise app extends help to more farmers
The following is a press release.
Global agricultural not-for-profit organisation CABI has worked with digital agency White October to rework and extend the features of its innovative library app for plant factsheets. The Plantwise Factsheets Library app, now used in 34 countries, is an online mobile resource for CABI Plantwise, a global programme to increase food security and improve rural livelihoods by reducing crop losses.
Significant performance improvements include increased stability to factsheet download and more efficient use of bandwidth, particularly important in remote areas where internet connections are weak. The factsheets can now be individually styled, giving CABI full control of the styling and the ability to release updates quickly and effectively. Compatibility with Sri Lankan text has also been added, further extending its geographical reach.
The CABI Plantwise programme, of which the Plantwise Factsheets Library app is a key part, was awarded the prestigious OECD DAC Prize 2015, which recognises organisations taking innovative approaches beyond the pilot phase to wider application.
Tim Holmes, Head of Technical Solutions, Plantwise Knowledge Bank, describes working with White October:
“I feel like a part of the White October team, with dedicated and talented staff assigned to my project. They have specialisms not only in development but in project management, testing and design. I always know what to expect because we share access to the tracking system and I get regular work-in-progress versions of my software as features take shape. I’m a particular fan of ‘price-per-point’ development for the low-risk it gives the project.”
The CABI Plantwise programme currently has 168 supporters and partners worldwide. The Plantwise Factsheets Library app, which was launched in 2014, has around 500 active users with 1,500 downloads and just under 80,000 sessions.
Further details about the OECD DAC Prize can be found here.
About Plantwise
Plantwise is a global programme, led by CABI, to increase food security and improve rural livelihoods by reducing crop losses. This is achieved by establishing sustainable networks of local plant clinics, run by trained plant doctors, where farmers can find practical plant health advice. Plant clinics are reinforced by the Plantwise knowledge bank, a gateway to actionable online and offline plant health information, including diagnostic resources, pest management advice and front-line pest data for effective global vigilance. Working in close partnership with relevant actors, Plantwise strengthens national plant health systems from within, enabling countries to provide farmers with the knowledge they need to lose less and feed more. Visit www.plantwise.org.
