How an agri AI is decoding the secret language of pests

Discover how AgriAI is revolutionising pest management for farmers by decoding pest signals and delivering instant solutions.

Under a blistering summer sun, a small, unassuming solar powered device stood mounted on a tripod on a field at Pinagadi village in Pendurthi mandal near Visakhapatnam city, silently watching rows of crops ahread.

It looks like a simple camera, but the technology inside represented a century of academic excellence and a future wherein farmers never have to wonder what’s killing their crop — Enter ‘AgriAI’ device, a sophisticated tool developed by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair of Andhra University.

For decades, farmers in villages like Pinagadi relied on manual inspection to spot and treat pest infestation. This entailed walking kilometres on end, and the farmers often missed the signs of an infestation until it was too late; AgriAI promises to change that.

Using Adaptive IoT-AI technology, the device acts as a digital sentinel. It doesn’t just take pictures; it understands them. Using vision models trained on various pest species, it can spot the differences between a harmless beetle and a devastating armyworm, said M. James Stephen, chair professor of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair.

The device was launched on Sunday (March 8) by director of B.R. Ambedkar Foundation-New Delhi (which comes under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) Manoj Tiwari in the presence of women agricultural labourers on the occasion of International Women's Day.

“We will bring this to the notice of the Union Ministry of Agriculture to see to that this device is affordable and available for all farmers at a subsidised price,” Mr. Tiwari said.