Abstract:
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technologies offer effective solutions to reduce the negative effects of
crop pests while considering human and environmental health. However, disseminating these technologies
faces several barriers, with one of the most significant being the lack of farmer awareness regarding their
availability, deployment, and uptake. Digital tools are perceived as a new form of leverage for overcoming
these barriers. This study analyzes current IPM digital tools and their potential to boost farmers’ awareness of
the deployment and adoption of IPM technologies. From a software engineering perspective, this study aims to
emphasize the critical functionalities and limitations of various IPM dissemination tools. It provides valuable
insights to improve the adoption process and streamline the dissemination of IPM technologies. Through a
systematic search in Google, Scopus and Web of Science for journal articles, over 32 dissemination tools
were identified. The study thoroughly assesses these tools and identifies 5 main limitations hindering their
regular use, especially in developing countries. Among the most significant limitations are the inadequate
representation of tools developed in developing countries, lack of agroecological customization, and insufficient
offline functionalities. Building on these findings, a user-centered design is employed to propose a software
architecture for a novel Decision Support System (DSS) tailored to farmers and experts. The architecture
comprises a local database for offline access, a mapping engine for data visualization, a conversation module
with a triangulation engine for knowledge sharing, and an agroecology engine for technology recommendation
based on an agroecological classification of the user’s landscape. Drawing from the review, identified
limitations, and the proposed architecture, we illustrate how the resulting novel DSS is anticipated to improve
the dissemination of IPM technologies.