00:07From above, this drone scans rows of cashew trees searching for signs of trouble invisible
00:15to the naked eye.
00:16Dalentin Akogo and his team developed the AI-powered system six years ago after repeatedly hearing
00:24how farmers were losing crops to pests and diseases.
00:46The drone captures thousands of high-resolution images across the farm.
00:52Those images are processed by an artificial intelligence system that identifies early
00:58signs of pests, disease and crop stress, allowing farmers to treat only the affected areas before
01:06the damage spreads.
01:08Agricultural experts say technologies like artificial intelligence could transform farming
01:13by helping growers make faster and more informed decisions, but they caution that unless these
01:20tools become affordable and accessible, many smallholder farmers risk being left behind.
01:27Those that are generally scared of new technologies, those that are a bit skeptical of these technologies,
01:37they probably, there's like a traditional mentality that, hey, maybe this might affect my crop negatively
01:44or something.
01:44They are the ones that might be left behind.
01:47According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, up to 40% of global crop production is lost each year
01:56to pests and plant diseases.
01:58For yam farmer, Abdoulaye Abubakar, those losses are all too familiar.
02:03He believes technologies like this could make a difference, but again, he's worried about affordability.
02:11My only concern now is about the costs involved in using the AI technology.
02:17Akoko says his company is training agricultural extension officers across Ghana to bring the
02:24technology closer to farming communities with the goal of making precision agriculture accessible
02:30beyond large commercial farms.
02:33If successful, innovations like this could help more farmers detect problems earlier, reduce crop
02:40losses, and strengthen food production in an ever-changing climate.
02:44It's a great day.
02:45It's a great day.
02:46It's a great day.
02:48It's a great day.
02:48It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:49It's a great day.
02:50It's a great day.
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