Post by OLAVO TEIXEIRA

I am delighted to share the publication of our latest scientific article, which presents an Artificial Intelligence solution for agricultural pest detection in Cabo Verde. This work is particularly meaningful because it demonstrates that it is possible to develop AI solutions tailored to the Cabo Verdean context. The model was trained using a local dataset built from images collected in Cabo Verde with the support of farmers through a Citizen Science approach. By learning from our own agricultural reality, the model provides predictions that are more relevant and applicable to the national context. The solution was implemented as a mobile application using Flutter for the frontend and Django REST Framework for the backend, enabling farmers to identify and classify some of the most common agricultural pests affecting crops in Cabo Verde quickly and easily. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Sónia Semedo for the trust she placed in me by inviting me to join this research team. Her leadership and vision were instrumental in turning this idea into reality. I would also like to acknowledge the excellent contribution of our student, Anaxímeno Brito, whose dedication, commitment, and collaboration were essential throughout the development of this project. This publication represents another important step in demonstrating that research carried out in Cabo Verde can generate high-quality scientific knowledge and innovative technological solutions with real impact for farmers and the agricultural sector. Congratulations to the entire RS2LAB team (https://rs2lab.com/) on this achievement. May this be just one of many contributions that continue to advance scientific research and technological innovation in Cabo Verde. The article is available at: https://lnkd.in/e-fy5CmV