A Model for a Mobile Application to Support Agro-ecological Zones based Crop Selection in Sri Lanka
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Date
2020
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Publisher
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Agriculture is the key source of livelihood and economic support for the Sri Lankan
population. The farmer is the salient stakeholder in agriculture and he has to decide the
appropriate crops for cultivation in every season. This decision should be primarily based
on market conditions including pricing but several other factors such as climatic
conditions of the area, land suitability, irrigation facilities, etc. should also take into
consideration. Thus, crop selection is a vital and critical decision that farmer has to get in
the farming lifecycle and many farmers face problems in selecting the right crops at the
right time to grow. Therefore, in this study, a digital platform has been created to provide
crop suitability information based on the agro-ecological zones in Sri Lanka. Providing
information regarding suitable crops according to agro-ecological zones in Sri Lanka is
the correct intervention to facilitate farmers during the crop selection stage. Contextual
data for crop selection were mainly gathered through primary and secondary sources. The
study learned that the agro-ecological zones have been classified based on different
climatic zones, annual rainfall, terrain characteristics, available major soil groups, and
recommended crops for all agro-ecological zones. A crop selection model was designed
and listed out suitable crops based on 46 agro-ecological zones in Sri Lanka. Further, this
decision is depended on the influence factors such as major cultivation seasons, irrigation
types, and farmer preferences, etc. The designed model has been provided through a
mobile-based platform to the farmers. Then, they could easily find recommended crops
and varieties suitable to their farms by asking users to add their Province, District,
Divisional Secretariat, and Grama Niladhari, division. Thus, the model will be promised
in supporting farmers to increase the profit and social status of the farmers in Sri Lanka.
Keywords: Agriculture, Agro-ecological zones, Crop selection, Farmers, Mobile
application
Description
Keywords
Agriculture, Agriculture Engineering, Agriculture Technology