Iowa State’s Pest-ID team, global researchers, work to build an app to help farmers

AMES, Iowa (March 16, 2026) – The technology will be like having an “expert crop advisor or extension agent in your pocket,” say researchers from four countries working together to build an app and chatbot to help farmers.

A farmer in Iowa, for example, could snap a photo of an insect pest, a weed or disease symptoms and upload it to the app. The app’s artificial intelligence system, trained on millions of images and data points, will provide “instant identification and practical advice on how to manage the problem effectively,” according to a summary of the project led by Arti Singh, an Iowa State University plant scientist. (See sidebar for other team members.)

The technology would work equally well across the globe, “making advanced pest management accessible to farmers everywhere, from small family farms to large agricultural operations,” according to the summary.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded a two-year, $400,000 grant to support the work of five Iowa State researchers teaming with international collaborators to develop the app.

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Originally published by Iowa State University in March 2026.