IBM partners with University of Sharjah on new app designed to promote sustainable agriculture
The University of Sharjah has partnered with IBM on a new mobile application called My FarmWell, which is designed to promote sustainable agriculture in water-stressed regions across the MENA region.
Built using IBM Environmental Intelligence and UoS Welly Chatbot, My FarmWell integrates IBM Cloud and region-specific water and climate data to provide farmers with timely, farm-level insights.
From optimizing irrigation strategies to understanding local regulations, the app offers a comprehensive toolkit to support more sustainable and productive agricultural practices.
With its bilingual (English and Arabic) user-friendly interface, My FarmWell equips farmers with access to well-specific data such as current water levels, historical groundwater trends, water quality indices (IWQI), and crop recommendations supporting smarter decisions in increasingly water-scarce environments.
Speaking on the launch, UoS Chancellor His Excellency Prof. Essam El-Din Ajami expressed his pride in this scientific achievement, which stems from collaborative research conducted with IBM.
He emphasized that, 'This milestone aligns with the university's strategic commitment to serving local and regional communities through impactful research that addresses environmental challenges'. He added that the University of Sharjah is dedicated to advancing sustainability efforts in a way that benefits not only the United Arab Emirates but also positions the university as a leading model for the entire Middle East and North Africa region.
UoS Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, Prof. Maamar Bettayeb, affirmed the keenness of the university's research sector to collaborate with various entities and institutions in conducting research of tangible societal benefit. He noted that 'My FarmWell represents a practical application of cutting-edge innovations in sustainability, offering solutions to pressing environmental challenges.' He added that it is also a concrete step toward smart, resilient, and sustainable agriculture.
Dr. Adewale Giwa, Principal Investigator of the project, underscored the app's transformative potential, saying, 'My FarmWell equips farmers with crucial insights that facilitate smarter water use and long-term sustainability.'
'My FarmWell is a great example of how IBM technology can help businesses of all sizes manage through environmental risks', said Shukri Eid, General Manager, IBM Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan. 'Here we are empowering farmers with data-driven insights on water, but Cloud and AI can unlock progress for all sorts of organizations, helping them boost resiliency and lower costs.'
Other Key Features of My FarmWell include:
Intuitive app screen : Provides weather information based on user location, quick overview of selected well details, links to agricultural regulations, food market prices, and a University of Sharjah-developed chatbot for farming and well-related advice.
: Provides weather information based on user location, quick overview of selected well details, links to agricultural regulations, food market prices, and a University of Sharjah-developed chatbot for farming and well-related advice. Comprehensive weather information : Powered by IBM Environmental Intelligence, offering current temperature (high, low, and perceived), weather conditions, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation forecast for the next 24 hours, and weather forecast for the next 10 days.
: Powered by IBM Environmental Intelligence, offering current temperature (high, low, and perceived), weather conditions, humidity, wind speed and direction, precipitation forecast for the next 24 hours, and weather forecast for the next 10 days. Well water monitoring and insights : Allows users to track historical groundwater changes, assess trends over time, and evaluate the severity of well water scarcity.
: Allows users to track historical groundwater changes, assess trends over time, and evaluate the severity of well water scarcity. Crop recommendations : Suggests suitable crops to grow based on specific water quality indices (Integrated Water Quality Index levels).
: Suggests suitable crops to grow based on specific water quality indices (Integrated Water Quality Index levels). Farm water consumption calculator : Helps estimate water needs for crops, trees, and livestock, optimizing farm water usage.
: Helps estimate water needs for crops, trees, and livestock, optimizing farm water usage. Educational hub : Provides comprehensive resources on groundwater conservation and climate adaptation.
: Provides comprehensive resources on groundwater conservation and climate adaptation. Market price integration: Links to global food market prices, enabling farmers to align irrigation strategies with market trends.
My FarmWell reflects a strong partnership between academia and industry, designed to address critical regional challenges through innovation.
The project exemplifies the mission of the IBM Sustainability Accelerator, a social innovation program that applies IBM technologies, such as hybrid cloud and AI, and an ecosystem of experts to enhance and scale nonprofit and government organization initiatives, accelerating environmental and economic impact.
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