Study of 2021 found that if farmers did not use pesticides, they would lose 78% of fruit production, 54% of vegetable production, and 32% of cereal production. At the same time, the way pesticides are delivered is not ideal: The only way to ensure enough pesticide distribution is to overspray. This is not good for farmers’ wallets or the environment.
Together it comes AgZen, a company born out of over a decade of MIT engineering research, with a new solution that uses artificial intelligence to ensure plants are sprayed enough, using real-time adjustments to optimize pesticide use. Company CEO Vishnu Jayaprakash shared with TechCrunch that RealCoverage can detect droplets as small as 150 microns and can provide real-time adjustments to spray parameters such as pressure, rate, boom height or speed. This allows for maximum application performance at speeds of up to 12 mph, the company claims.
The implications of this technology are enormous. AgZen claims its algorithms and optimizations can reduce chemical use by up to 50%, significantly reducing input costs for farmers while maintaining crop health and yield. AgZen has been testing its product through more than three years of field trials on various crops, and tells TechCrunch that last year it conducted 12 successful pilots and trials in the US and Europe with some of the world’s largest growers.
The real winner in all of this may turn out to be public health and the environment. With studies indicating widespread contamination of agricultural streams, wells and aquifers due to pesticide runoff and the world’s soil at high risk of pesticide contamination, agtech companies are scrambling for solutions. By reducing foliar pesticide use by 30% to 50%, AgZen’s technology can help mitigate these impacts, aligning with the critical need for improved spray efficiency highlighted in recent reports.
The company also suggests that RealCoverage could prove a valuable tool for farmers trying to fend off regulators. The EPA has been rattling off pesticide runoff for some time. By providing accurate data on the volume of pesticides reaching the target in real time, it can improve pesticide monitoring, reduce environmental impacts and provide information for designing new formulations and optimizing farm operations worldwide.
AgZen is preparing to launch RealCoverage commercially later this year through a lease-to-own program, which helps bring the system into affordable range for farmers. The company suggests that by reducing the amount of chemicals used, the system pays for itself within one season.
