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Combating invasive Armyworm with education for farmers and machine learning

Combating invasive Armyworm with education for farmers and machine learning

Introduction:

An invasive pest, the Fall Armyworm, risks ruining up to 40 per cent of farmers’ yields in Asia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

Many growers still rely on maize and rice to feed their families, FAO has warned, meaning that the food security of millions is potentially at stake.

The good news is that there are new tools that use machine learning to help farmers combat the caterpillars in a sustainable way, as FAO’s Allan Hruska told UN News’s Jens Renner.

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An invasive pest, the Fall Armyworm, risks ruining up to 40 per cent of farmers’ yields in Asia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday.

Many growers still rely on maize and rice to feed their families, FAO has warned, meaning that the food security of millions is potentially at stake.

The good news is that there are new tools that use machine learning to help farmers combat the caterpillars in a sustainable way, as FAO’s Allan Hruska told UN News’s Jens Renner.

Audio Credit
Jens Renner, UN News - Geneva
Audio Duration
7'26"
Photo Credit
FAO/Lesotho/Lechoko Noko