Venture capital firm Jenson Funding Partners is investing £250,000 into the AI farming spinout Permia Sensing.
The Imperial College London spinout uses an acoustic sensor and artificial intelligence to listen for the sounds of red palm weevils on coconut palm trees.
Red palm weevils cause damage to coconut palm trees and if the sensors detect weevils, farmers are notified via Permia’s app.
Efrem de Paiva, CEO of Permia Sensing, said: “With Permia’s technology, we hope to help farmers globally generate the most sustainable yield from the healthiest trees.
“By minimising some required input we can reduce CO2 emissions, not to mention the social impact of generating more income within the supply chain.”
The sensors can also track a tree’s health and the app suggests ways for farmers to improve their yields based on the data it gathers.
The pre-seed financing from Jenson will help Permia Sensing continue its ongoing trials at Sri Lanka plantations.
“With palm being so prominent in products across the globe, it’s important farmers have access to tools required to generate the highest yield,” says Sarah Barber, CEO of Jenson Funding Partners.
Blockchain licensing software SphereTrax this month also received £250k from Jenson Funding Partners. In December, Jenson launched its £60m green tech fund.
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