How AI is helping Indian cotton farmers reduce pesticide use

There are more than 5.8 million cotton farmers in India according to the country’s Textile Ministry. Every year, they face heavy losses due to pests attacking their crops. In 2017, farmers in the state of Maharashtra faced a loss of ₹15,000 crores ($2.1 billion) as 50% of the crop was under attack from pests. As a result, more than 55% of pesticide in India goes towards cotton farming. However, the wrong usage of these chemicals can damage the crop or reduce the quality. That’s why Wadhwani AI, a research institute in India, started searching for solutions in 2018 to help farmers…

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