Building AgriRef: an AI embedded virtual reference app for farmers

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to discuss the process of building a 24×7 reference platform for facilitating the farmers with the easy access of information at any time from any location. It takes the text string as input and process it to respond with the desired result to the user. Design/methodology/approach An interactive Web-based chatbot named as AgriRef was developed using free version of Dialogflow. The intents were defined based on the conversation flow diagram. Furthermore, the application was integrated with website on local server and telegram application. Findings With this chatbot application, the farmers will able to get answers of their queries. It provides the human-like conversational interface to the farmers. It will also be useful for librarians of agricultural libraries to save time in answering common queries. Originality/value This paper describes the various steps involved in developing the chatbot application using Dialogflow.