DUBAI, UAE — Farmers around the world spend billions each year on pesticides, but a UK-based startup believes it has found a smarter way to protect crops. Spotta, a technology company specializing in intelligent pest monitoring, is combining Internet of Things (IoT) sensors with AI-powered analytics to detect infestations earlier and reduce chemical usage.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers are expected to spend $18.1 billion on pesticides in 2025. Beyond the financial cost, repeated exposure puts field workers at risk, said Monique Rivera, assistant professor at Cornell Agritech. “If you miss the indications of that first generation, you’re essentially wasting the insecticide,” she explained.

Early Detection with Smart Sensors

Spotta’s system deploys pheromone-based IoT sensors directly into fields, where they continuously monitor insect activity. Instead of relying on manual crop inspections, the sensors transmit real-time data to an AI-driven platform that instantly analyzes pest presence.

CEO and cofounder Robert Fryers says this approach helps farmers “catch infestations before they spread,” reducing both crop losses and unnecessary chemical spraying.

Key Advantages for Farmers:

• Early detection of pest outbreaks

• Targeted pesticide use rather than blanket spraying

• Lower costs and reduced health risks for workers

Rivera adds: “Any way that you can refine that exposure and reduce the amount of sprays, it’s not only cheaper for the grower, but it’s better for everyone that works in the orchard.”

From Hotels to Farms in Harsh Climates

Spotta originally launched in 2020 with a bed bug monitoring product for hotels. Expanding into agriculture brought new challenges, especially in the Middle East, where extreme heat and multiple pest species complicate monitoring.

In Qatar and the UAE, Spotta’s platform has proven particularly useful against the red palm weevil, a pest that threatens date palm plantations. Its image-based AI allows the system to distinguish between insect species, even when only a handful of pests are present.

“The ability to discriminate between insects really early in their life cycle is critical,” Fryers explained.

Data-Driven Pest Forecasting

The company’s sensors feed data into an AI-powered dashboard that combines insect monitoring with weather patterns, farming history, and crop data. This integration enables predictive modeling, allowing farmers to anticipate infestations up to three months earlier than with traditional methods.

Such precision not only helps protect yields but also aligns with global efforts to promote sustainable agriculture by cutting down on chemical use.

A Growing Field of Agri-Tech Solutions

Spotta is not alone. Competitors such as FarmSense (U.S.) and Trapview (Slovenia) are also developing IoT- and AI-based pest management systems.

• FarmSense uses patented optical sensors to identify flying insects and deliver real-time data to farmers.

• Trapview employs IoT-enabled smart traps combined with AI forecasting, serving growers in over 60 countries.

Despite the innovation, adoption in agriculture has been gradual. Fryers admits he was surprised by the limited investment from major agribusinesses, while Rivera points out that “community knowledge and word of mouth” still play a big role in technology uptake among farmers.