Hyperspectral agricultural imaging and diagnostic provider Gamaya has raised $3.2 million (equivalent to about $3.2 million CHF) in its first series of financing. "Before we started working with Gamaya, there was no cost-effective way to measure the impact of nematodes, outbreaks of weed and soil deficiencies during the crop cycle," said Nicolas Landolt of Agricert, a farm based in Brazil. "We are now able to accurately see where those problems are occurring and make real-time decisions that ensure that those problems are looked after. With a simple drone flight, Gamaya's technology allows Agricert to maximize profitability through production cost reductions and increase in yield." Gamaya's SOYFIT soybean system is an toolbox driven by agronomic insights and developed to address the specific needs of soybean cultivation in Brazil. It includes weed detection and classification, detection of nematode disease, detection of plant nutrient content, and yield prediction and growth monitoring. Courtesy of PRNewsFoto/Gamaya. The Gamaya system includes a drone-mounted hyperspectral camera integrated with an analytical platform that automatically translates the data into actionable information for farmers using a simple, scalable and cost-effective methodology. Agronomy-driven information is delivered through maps and recommendations, such as weed or disease maps, so that a farmer can easily take action in the field. The action maps are integrated into farm management platforms and can be easily relayed to field machinery for the necessary treatment, such as the spraying of chemicals or the distribution of fertilizers. "We believe food production to be one of the main challenges facing humanity in the future,” said Andres Brabeck-Letmathe, managing director of Glasshouse SA, a Gamaya funder. “Population growth, climate change, reduced water availability and environmental concerns will force food producers to become more and more efficient with less and less resources and Gamaya's technology could in our view become part of the solution.”