Space4Good is an impact maker that utilizes earth observation technology for social and environmental good.

The Client’s challenges

The biggest challenges that must be addressed in rice cultivation are:

• Expensive and cumbersome conventional field scouting methods to identify threats
• Absence of early detection of pests and disease
• Predicting the occurrence and severity of pests and disease spread
• Devising an impactful and cost-effective mitigation process
• Ensuring sustainability with a considerable reduction in water contamination and the use of harmful pesticides

The client partnered with Cropin to deploy an artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution for pest detection and disease mitigation in paddy. For the prototype pilot, 500 farmers were selected through a random sampling method across seven districts of Andhra Pradesh, in India.

Cropin helps with early pest detection

Cropin helped with remote monitoring and managing paddy fields in a timely and sustainable manner. It provided early warnings of pest infestations and diseases in transplanted paddy.

Crop risk assessment was done leveraging remote sensing (RS) & Geographic Information systems (GIS) and AI technologies. This empowered farmers and land managers to track crop health and prevent undue loss. The early detection ensured lesser use of pesticides and could drive an efficient and cost-effective mitigation process.

Impact

Farmers could make informed decisions and take proactive actions based on real-time information on pest and disease infestation to prevent crop damage.

They enjoyed:

• 20% increased productivity
• 15% reduced fungicide expense