Grow-NY Winner Dropcopter Assists with AI Pollination

As crop pollination concerns continue to grow due to a declining bee population worldwide, so does the need for agricultural innovation to preserve this process and ensure the growth of produce.  

Dropcopter, the $500,000 winner of the 2019 Grow-NY competition, has teamed up with Blue White Robotics (BWR) in Tel Aviv, Israel to provide artificial pollination services through the use of drones in Jordan Valley. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel’s border crossings have been closed, causing labor shortages among date farmers in the region. Known for being a leader in automated pollination of orchard crops via unmanned aircraft systems, Dropcopter’s mission is to increase crop production and combat the effects of pollinator decline. Independent research has verified that Dropcopter’s treatments increase crop yields by 25-50%.  

Learn more about this large-scale pollination project on Medium and how Dropcopter and BWR are helping date farmers in Jordan Valley during this challenging time.