Cultive wins Rep. Anna Eshoo’s 2021 Congressional App Challenge in California’s 18th District

When asked what inspired the creation of Cultive, the student said, “Every year, my family and I planted a garden of fruits and vegetables together, and I would watch them blossom. But one year, some of the plants’ leaves were dying, yellow and spotted, we didn’t know what was happening. After digging around on websites and photos, we were able to revive our garden and save them. I realized this was a much larger problem. In many areas, losses due to crop diseases can range up to 50 percent of the potential production, and these discarded plants are impacting food availability around the world. With more knowledge and proper use of protective products, there can be a great change in the agriculture industry, and it has been shown that without such measures, global losses would double each year. A fungal disease, for instance, is handled vastly differently from a viral one. Being able to recognize the circumstances and the best actions to take has a great impact. Especially important in California’s economy, I created Cultive to address this issue of crop health using technology that can change the world.”