PROBES snapshot: Enhanced Pest Acoustic Detection Device for Rice (EPADDY)

This one-page brief, developed by the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) team at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, is based on the EPADDY probe led by Shalini Gakhar, Data Scientist - Interoperability and Data Science Life Cycle at IRRI. The probe explores the use of acoustic sensing and machine learning to detect insect pests hidden inside stored rice grains. By capturing and analyzing insect-generated sounds, the approach aims to provide an early warning system for post-harvest infestations before visible damage occurs. Implemented as an early-stage, safe-to-fail experiment, the probe focuses on understanding the feasibility, accuracy, and practical challenges of using low-cost hardware and AI models in real storage environments. The brief synthesizes early insights to inform future development of scalable, non-invasive pest monitoring solutions for rice storage systems.