Mohammad Riaz, BAU: In an agrarian country like Bangladesh, farmers constantly face numerous challenges, including managing timely irrigation, determining accurate fertilizer doses, applying pesticides, and controlling pest infestations. Marginal farmers, in particular, are frequently deprived of much-needed guidance and effective solutions.
To address these critical issues, a team of researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated agricultural mobile application.
The application has been named "BDFarmMate-AI." It is being developed under a two-year project titled "Improving Computer and Software Engineering Tertiary Education Project," initiated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The researchers announced that a fully functional Android and web-based AI platform will be built under this project.
Professor Dr. Md. Rakib Hasan from the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at BAU is leading the study as the principal investigator. The co-researchers include Associate Professor Dr. Mesbah Uddin from the same department; Professor Dr. Md. Rostam Ali from the Department of Farm Power and Machinery at BAU; and Professor Dr. Hak-Jin Kim from the Department of Biosystems Engineering at Seoul National University, South Korea. Funded by the Research and Development Grant (RDG), the project commenced on January 20 this year and is scheduled to run until December 31, 2027.
The researchers highlighted that the integration of modern technology is making farming simpler, more profitable, and technology-driven. As a result, educated youths are increasingly showing interest in adopting agriculture as a profession. Furthermore, the use of technology helps minimize production costs while simultaneously boosting crop yield and quality.
"Through this app, farmers can diagnose crop diseases, access accurate fertilizer management guidelines, get live weather updates, and receive various agricultural recommendations right from their homes. This app will play a vital role in modernizing agriculture and resolving farming bottlenecks," said Professor Dr. Md. Rakib Hasan.
He further added, "BDFarmMate-AI will address critical challenges faced by farmers and agricultural stakeholders. These include limited access to personalized advisory services, weak market linkages, lack of reliable information on agricultural inputs and services, isolated communication among stakeholders, and the absence of integrated AI-assisted tools for crop management and price forecasting. While existing agricultural apps offer only fragmented solutions, our proposed platform aims to solve these issues holistically and effectively."
As part of the project, an inaugural workshop tailored for rice farmers was recently organized by the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics at BAU. The event was attended by the Acting Vice-Chancellor of BAU, Professor Dr. G. M. Mujibar Rahman; Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Majid; Head of the Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, Md. Said Iftekhar Yousuf; along with faculty members from various departments and rice farmers from the Mymensingh region.
