DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTILINGUAL MOBILE-BASED PLATFORM FOR EFFICIENT INFORMATION DISSEMINATION IN CROP PRODUCTION

Abstract

Agriculture remains the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, yet farmers, especially in Northern Nigeria, struggle with inadequate access to timely and relevant crop production information. This challenge contributes to low productivity, poor crop yields, and limited adoption of modern practices. This study presents the development of a mobile App for efficient information dissemination in crop production. The system was developed using Flutter for the mobile interface, Node.js for the backend, and MySQL for database management. Core features include weather forecasts, soil texture guidance, multilingual support (English, Hausa, Arabic), and a chat module for farmer-expert interaction. Evaluation of the platform was conducted with ten (10) smallholder farmers from selected farming communities in Northern Nigeria using questionnaires and practical system usage sessions. The findings revealed that the platform significantly improved farmers’ access to timely agricultural information, enhanced decision-making related to crop production, and supported the adoption of improved farming practices. Evidence from the evaluation showed increased reliance on weather forecasting, soil guidance, and pest management features, demonstrating the system’s effectiveness in promoting sustainable farming practices.