Data-driven techniques for enhancing mango productivity in India’s western plain zone: A mobile app approach

The present research paper deals with the development of a Farm Mango App in the name of IIFSR (Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research) mango App. It is a mobile application system designed to assist mango crop growers and researchers of the Western Plain Zone of India. Since mango farming also plays a crucial role in India’s overall agricultural economy, effective management of mango farms requires timely management of several agricultural operations such as crop monitoring, following appropriate fertilizer schedules, pest management, timely weather information, yield estimation, etc. Hence, the developed mobile app aims to provide farmers with several real-time pieces of information such as soil testing lab information, prevailing Government schemes executed for farmers’ welfare, mandi rates, predictive analysis, and decision support tools for optimizing farm operations and maximizing yield, particularly in the Western Plain Zone of India. The mobile app development process begins with the utilization of Java, XML, Android Studio (Chipmunk), and SQLite database. Here, we outline the newly developed Farm Mango App’s methodology, design, implementation, comparative analysis, and evaluation, along with photographs showcasing features and functionalities.

App: Application; AVD: Android Virtual Device; ICAR: Indian Council of Agricultural Research; ICT: Information and Communication Technology; IDE: Integrated Development Environment; IIFSR: Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research; IRC: Institute Research Committee; mAgriculture: Mobile Agriculture; OOP: Object-Oriented Programming; OS: Operating System; SDK: Software Development Kit; SQL: Structured Query Language for Lite; XML: eXtensible Markup Language