ABSTRACT
Universities have long been a base for agricultural extension. is chapter examines a way that universities are now collaborating across national borders to support agriculture at the community level in developing country contexts. is chapter introduces a recent advancement in agricultural modernization that holds vast potential for developing countries like Nepal. e chapter begins by discussing the unique topographical features of Nepal, which have slowed the use of instructional technology in agriculture. e chapter then discusses economic factors and the role of agriculture in Nepal. Finally, the authors introduce research on the use of a web-based system for providing eld diagnosis of plant diseases, with a discussion of the benets of this system for farmers and the larger society. e system helps build farmers’ knowledge of agriculture by assisting in the diagnosis of plant diseases in the eld using a cameraequipped mobile phone. When stress or other disorders are found on a plant, the farmer can send an image by mobile phone to the correspondent university. at photo is then analyzed by a computer-based automatic identication system or by university-based experts and the resulting diagnosis returned to the sender. e use of such a system therefore incorporates an environment of learning as farmers will become more familiar with disease diagnosis through direct and easy interaction with the system. It also provides a new development in agricultural extension capable of making quick diagnosis possible. is, in turn, prevents the spread of crop damage, reduces the risk of
nancial loss for the farmer, and ensures better food safety for the society. In developing countries with only a limited pool of experts, this potential form of cross-border collaboration is not only highly benecial but an absolute necessity.
