In recent years, fast technological advancements have led to the development of high-quality software and hardware, revolutionizing various industries such as the economy, health, industry, and agriculture. Specifically, applying information and communication technology (ICT) tools and the Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture has improved productivity through sustainable food cultivation and environment preservation via efficient use of land and knowledge. However, limited access, high costs, and lack of training have created a considerable gap between farmers and ICT tools in some countries, e.g., Colombia. To address these challenges, we present AgroTIC, a smartphone-based application for agriculture that bridges the gap between farmers, agronomists, and merchants via ubiquitous technology and low-cost smartphones. AgroTIC enables farmers to monitor their crop health with the assistance of agronomists, image processing, and deep learning. Furthermore, when farmers are ready to market their agricultural products, AgroTIC provides a platform to connect them with merchants. We present a case study of the AgroTIC app among citrus fruit farmers from the Santander department in Colombia. Our study included over 200 farmers from more than 130 farms, and AgroTIC positively impacted their crop quality and production. The AgroTIC app was downloaded over 120 times during the study, and more than 170 farmers, agronomists, and merchants actively used the application.

翻译：近年来，快速的技术进步推动了高品质软硬件的发展，从而革新了经济、健康、工业和农业等多个行业。具体而言，将信息与通信技术（ICT）工具和物联网（IoT）应用于农业，通过可持续的食品种植、高效利用土地和知识来保护环境，从而提高了生产力。然而，在一些国家（如哥伦比亚），有限的接入条件、高昂的成本以及缺乏培训，导致农民与ICT工具之间存在显著差距。为应对这些挑战，我们提出了AgroTIC——一款基于智能手机的农业应用，通过普适技术和低成本智能手机弥合农民、农学家和商人之间的鸿沟。AgroTIC使农民能够在农学家协助下，借助图像处理和深度学习监测作物健康状况。此外，当农民准备销售农产品时，AgroTIC提供了一个平台，将其与商人连接起来。我们以哥伦比亚桑坦德省柑橘类水果农民为案例，对AgroTIC应用进行了研究。该研究涵盖了来自130多个农场的超过200名农民，AgroTIC对其作物质量和产量产生了积极影响。研究期间，AgroTIC应用下载量超过120次，且有超过170名农民、农学家和商人活跃使用该应用。