RiceAdvice: Free Android-based decision support tool for African rice farmers

What is RiceAdvice? RiceAdvice is a decision support tool for providing farmers with field-specific management guidelines for rice production systems in Africa. It is an interactive tool, and the guidelines are generated based on farmers' answers to multiple choice questions on crop management practices and market. Expected users include farmers, extension workers, private rice sectors, development agencies in Africa who are interested in advice for rice production. RiceAdvice can be used on Android devices (version 4.0.3 and up), such as smart phones and tablet computers. Although RiceAdvice can be largely used without any internet connection, an active connection is required from time to time to be able to synchronize information with the database server. RiceAdvice is a free decision support application (app) for providing farmers with field-specific management guidelines. It is an interactive tool, which generates the recommendations based on farmers’ answers to around 20 questions including: • Location • Season • Rice growing environment • Water supply level • Crop management practices • Rice variety • Typical rice yield • Crop rotation • Organic input • Fertilizer which farmers already have • List of fertilizers available in the local market and their price • Paddy price Who can use it and where? Farmers, extension workers, private sector, and development agencies having smartphone or tablet with android device (version 3.0 and up). Target conditions are irrigated and favorable rainfed rice. Not recommended to use in locations where drought/flooding risk is high. Currently RiceAdvice is available for Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo and Uganda. Please check the locations on the map available at https://www.riceadvice.info/en/ to check where RiceAdvice has been tested. It is noted that field testing was not completed in all the countries above. In those countries and locations which RiceAdvice was not tested, do not use this tool for your field or farmers’ fields before its validation. If you are willing to test the tool by yourself or with farmers, please contact us (email to k.saito@cgiar.org ). Guidance RiceAdvice website: https://www.riceadvice.info/en/ RiceAdvice in Google play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cocapacity.rice RiceAdvice Installation Guide: http://www.slideshare.net/riceadvice Further help with using RiceAdvice, please send an email to support@riceadvice.info For more information, please contact Dr Kazuki Saito. k.saito@cgiar.org Video credit : Savitri Mohapatra, R. Raman, AfricaRice