Fermata
Doing things manually while we build the dataset
One of the biggest challenges we had to overcome was establishing ground truth to build a reliable dataset to train our models. Every agronomist, or crop scientist, has their own opinion and will make mistakes as well. We needed to not only compile a decent dataset from the ground up but also build machine-learning models that could adapt to mistakes.
We did a few things to help. First, we built a research lab, where we grow plants, infest them with different things, and record them on videos. We also hired an in-house team of agronomists to help us label these images.
Additionally, we launched our product to the public before it was automated, doing identifications manually and encouraging farmers on the app to give us feedback. This helps us better understand the problem and gives us a more robust dataset. Even as we’ve shifted to relying on AI for identification, this feedback loop helps us continually improve our models.
Building relationships to find future possibilities for the technology
It’s so important that any technologist trying to solve a problem in a new-to-them industry — especially more conservative fields like agriculture — stay humble and develop real relationships with the people they’re hoping to help. If I marched in as a tech-industry outsider and told these farmers who have been doing this for decades that I could teach them how to operate and be more efficient, it wouldn’t work.
Instead, I work on building relationships and trust within the industry. I approach it from the perspective of wanting to learn from my customers and understand how my tech knowledge can help them.
Ultimately, this has helped me see even more potential in what we’re doing. I’ve learned that there’s so much visual data in farming, from understanding whether bees are pollinating to seeing how employees are treating plants. The vision that Fermata has is to build a new visual-data layer in the agricultural industry that helps all stakeholders — from farmers to people who sell fertilizer to pesticide companies — be more efficient.