The MOKARO system, whose name literally means “My Field” in Mauritian Creole, is an initiative by the Mauritian Government to tackle the difficulties encountered by the small (& often vulnerable) farmers in Mauritius. Indeed, due to climate change & increased competition from big corporations, Mauritian farmers need to improve the efficiency of their farming strategies in order to guarantee their livelihood.

The MOKARO app serves mainly as a decision support system for farmers.

By using Mokaro, a planter will be able to understand the actual market for their produce. Based on the plant type, region, period of the year and statistical/historical data, a recommendation is generated for the user through the use of simple graphical easy-to-understand icons.

Farmers also receive advice based on meteorological data that is fed daily into the system. The system automatically analyses this data and generates advice n irrigation and spraying of crops. The model used for this calculation considers the meteorological data, water stress (based on the variety of the crop), wind direction (to determine loss rate of pesticide droplets) amongst others.

Thirdly, the MOKARO app fosters local micro-economies by connecting individuals, cooperatives and small business which offer services linked with agriculture (e.g. renting of a truck, de-rocking services, seedling suppliers etc). The system uses the geolocation of the user and displays a list of the relevant services nearest to him/her. It should be noted that the system supports registration/validation (through SMS and manual account activation by Govt. Officers) for service providers so as to prevent abuse. Farmers do not need to register to use the system.

Finally, the planned calendar of activities and events informs planters on activities of stakeholders where they may be invited to participate.

Finally, in case of critical disasters (e.g. crop diseases, insect plague etc), the system also supports warnings/alerts to all users.

http://mauritiusapps.govmu.org/apps?18

• Mauritius

• Women
• Indigenous and nomadic peoples
• The unemployed
• The poor
• Remote and rural communities

The project is based on open source technologies, and is location independent. The app uses JSON web services, which means that it is compliant with open systems, with minimal changes to other systems.

After adding a functionality to select the country/region in the app, the requirements for replicating the system are:
-Host server (web service + database)
-Training of staff to use the system.

The only foreseeable new task would be to adapt the meteorological model for rain droplets/wind speed & direction with the local climatic conditions of the new region where the app will be deployed as each region in the world may have its own specificities.

Note; the app supports multiple regions.

By impacting several SDGs, the project aims to improve sustainable agricultural practices by providing a decision support system for the farmer's community. Being a smartphone app, the ability to reach people, even in remote areas, is possible and through the mobile app structure, the rolling out of new features such as knowledge base of best practices would be very easy

By providing a free tool to support decision making in the agro-industry, the principles for an Information Society for all are upheld, essentially by using ICT infrastructure to provide affordable and accessible information, capacity building and benefit people in many aspects of life (in this case, e-Agriculture)