17.05.2023 Plantvillage Receives $4.96 Million Grant To Combat Crop Loss In Africa The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Is Awarding A $4.96 Million Grant To Penn State'splantvillageto Help Increase Food Production For Smallholder Farmers Who Face Pests And Disease Of Their Crops Across Sub-saharan Africa.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is awarding a $4.96 million grant to Penn State’s PlantVillage to help increase food production for smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The research project, called Delphi, will create a modeling platform to improve the speed and accuracy of efforts to identify emerging threats. The global economic cost of plant diseases alone is estimated to be $220 billion, and invasive insects account for an additional $70 billion in losses. The project will benefit international organizations, universities, and the private sector by helping them develop computer vision and other technologies to combat crop loss.