{"stable_id":"5ea0424c926cb9d5","slug":"plantvillage-nuru-cassava-diagnosis","company":"PlantVillage, FAO, IITA, CIMMYT, and partner extension programs","workflow_name":"PlantVillage Nuru offline smartphone diagnosis","function_code":"agriculture","pattern_codes":["creator_to_judge"],"changed_assumption":"Farmers can diagnose cassava disease without waiting for scarce expert access or relying on unaided vision.","evidence_strength":"verified","publication_tier":"showcase","freshness":"current","reviewed_at":"2026-08-23","updated_at":"2026-08-22","source_quality_summary":"2 peer reviewed; publication outcomes are verified.","caveat_summary":"Diagnostic accuracy is not crop-yield impact. Adoption research found 45% adoption, 65% smartphone unavailability, and 41% complexity constraints.","freshness_caveat":null,"workflow_summary":{"before":[{"actor":"Farmer or extension officer","action":"Inspect visible leaf symptoms using personal knowledge.","actor_type":"control"},{"actor":"Expert","action":"Provide diagnosis when reachable.","actor_type":"control"}],"hinge":"Farmers can diagnose cassava disease without waiting for scarce expert access or relying on unaided vision.","after":[{"actor":"Farmer or extension officer","action":"Scans multiple leaves with an Android phone in the field without internet.","actor_type":"system"},{"actor":"Nuru","action":"Classifies disease or pest symptoms and provides real-time guidance.","actor_type":"system"},{"actor":"Human user","action":"Decides whether to act, rescan, or seek expert confirmation.","actor_type":"human"}],"decision_mode":"shared","decision_marker":"Human moves from creator to judge"},"before":[{"order":1,"actor":"Farmer or extension officer","action":"Inspect visible leaf symptoms using personal knowledge.","handoff_to":"Treatment or expert referral","control":"Human diagnostic skill"},{"order":2,"actor":"Expert","action":"Provide diagnosis when reachable.","handoff_to":"Farmer","control":"Travel and availability"}],"after":[{"order":1,"actor":"Farmer or extension officer","action":"Scans multiple leaves with an Android phone in the field without internet.","handoff_to":"Nuru model","control":"Image-quality and six-leaf protocol"},{"order":2,"actor":"Nuru","action":"Classifies disease or pest symptoms and provides real-time guidance.","handoff_to":"Farmer or extension officer","control":"Model confidence and supported conditions"},{"order":3,"actor":"Human user","action":"Decides whether to act, rescan, or seek expert confirmation.","handoff_to":"Crop-management action","control":"Human authority"}],"decision_rights":"Nuru returns a diagnosis and advice; the farmer or extension officer decides what action to take.","exception_path":"Users can scan six leaves, repeat under better lighting, or escalate uncertain and unsupported cases to trained experts.","removed_work":["Some travel and waiting for first-pass diagnosis","Reliance on unaided farmer symptom recognition"],"outcomes":[{"metric":"Field diagnostic accuracy","baseline":"Farmers 18-31% and extension agents 40-58%","result":"Nuru 65% in 2020; 74-88% when six leaves per plant were assessed","period":"2020 East Africa field evaluation","scale":"Field diagnosis of cassava disease and pest symptoms compared with farmers, extension agents, and experts","attribution_caveat":"Diagnostic accuracy is not crop-yield impact. Adoption research found 45% adoption, 65% smartphone unavailability, and 41% complexity constraints.","evidence_label":"verified"}],"executive_lesson":"The model outperformed typical users, but the workflow still depends on owning a suitable phone, capturing six useful leaves, and knowing when to escalate.","anti_pattern":"Equating diagnostic accuracy with farmer income or ignoring access and usability barriers.","questions_for_leaders":["What physical input protocol controls accuracy?","Who is excluded by the device requirement?"],"collections":[],"bundle_version":"1.0.0","bundle_fingerprint":"sha256:c23c6cc2b88153d008ea8fda928f632ce0011fc2d4c5036672a16e5d895bab93","canonical_url":"https://brianletort.ai/transformations/plantvillage-nuru-cassava-diagnosis"}