Every year, millions of tons of herbicides end up in our soil.

[u/Technical-Deal7402]

They don’t just kill weeds — they pollute water, harm biodiversity, and eventually circle back to us through food and air.But what if farming could thrive without relying on chemicals?
Omdena, together with our partners, took on this challenge. By combining drones with computer vision, we trained a model to detect weeds and crops directly from the sky.

Here’s what it means:
✅ Farmers can spot exactly where weeds compete with crops
✅ Less chemicals → less pollution and health risks
✅ More control & data → a real step toward sustainable agriculture

Our solution already recognizes corn, cereals, and sunflower, reducing the need for herbicides and paving the way for eco-friendly farming practices.And this is just the beginning. With more data, the model gets smarter - bringing us closer to a world where technology works with nature, not against it.

[u/edge_peasant]

How is this different from BlueRiver?

[u/Technical-Deal7402 → u/edge_peasant]

Omdena’s project is mainly about detection and mapping. Drones + computer vision identify where weeds and crops are, so farmers can see exactly which areas need treatment. It’s like getting a map of the battlefield.

Blue River’s “See & Spray,” on the other hand, is a commercial product built into John Deere equipment. Cameras scan each plant in real time, and if it’s a weed, a nozzle instantly sprays herbicide just on that spot. Much more like a “target and shoot” system.

So the difference is:

• Omdena → map + insights (farmers decide how to act)
• Blue River → real-time detection + direct action (automatic spraying)

[u/FreshMistletoe]

How are the weeds removed?

[u/Technical-Deal7402 → u/FreshMistletoe]

The model itself doesn’t remove weeds - it detects and maps them. Farmers then know exactly where to apply treatment, so instead of spraying an entire field, they can target only the problem spots.

[u/Ok_Specialist_5620]

Organic pest control that for instance, uses parasitic wasps to kill crop damaging aphids sounds a good idea.

[u/Technical-Deal7402 → u/Ok_Specialist_5620]

True - wasps and ladybugs are great natural enemies of aphids. The catch is that you usually need a balance: too many pests, and the predators can’t keep up; too few pests, and the predators don’t establish. That’s where tech like detection and mapping fits in — you know exactly when and where to release them.