The Problem
Cotton is one of the largest cash crops grown globally. It is India’s third largest crop after rice and wheat and 75% of it is grown by small-holder farmers who struggle with uncertainty in yield and income. One of the critical challenges they face is the inability to manage pests despite heavy usage of pesticides.
More than a billion people live in smallholder farmer households worldwide, and many of these farmers struggle with avoidable pest damage that can wipe out up to 50% of annual crop yield. For example, in India, for the 30 million people — 6 million farmers and their families — that depend on cotton farming for a living, inability to manage pests effectively is one the biggest risks. This, despite the fact that cotton accounts for close to half of India’s pesticide usage.