Agriculture depends on crop protection, yet most of what farmers spray never reaches the plant. Droplets bounce off leaves and run into the soil and waterways, so growers apply far more chemistry than their crops actually absorb, driving up costs, emissions and environmental load. The industry has lacked any way to measure, in the moment, how much spray truly lands on the leaf.
AgZen, spun out of MIT, gives farmers real-time feedback on their spraying. Its RealCoverage system uses cameras mounted on any sprayer to measure, while the machine is moving, how much product reaches each leaf, and adjusts application on the fly. Its EnhanceCoverage nozzle technology helps droplets stick rather than bounce. In field trials the approach has cut pesticide use by up to half while maintaining or improving yields, and AgZen has passed one million commercial acres in the US with commitments extending across Australia and Argentina.
By putting precise, measurable control over crop inputs directly in farmers’ hands, AgZen lowers the chemical and carbon load of agriculture without asking growers to sacrifice productivity. It reflects Astanor’s conviction that resilient food systems are built by using less to grow more.
