REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
For Pilot Testing cum Data Collection of CropAce application in Kharif 2025
Closing Date for Submission: March 31, 2026, at 23:59 PM
LEHS is a charitable organization in India whose purpose is to offer basic health and education for the poor. LEHS in furtherance of charitable objectives through its flagship programs, Wadhwani AI, which aims to build equitable and sustainable systems by making quality primary healthcare available and accessible to the underserved population and to bring the benefits of modern AI technology to underserved populations by building and deploying AI solutions for social impact across domains such as healthcare, agriculture, governance and education in India. LEHS aims to promote the integration of technologies, particularly in emerging domains like artificial intelligence and innovations into the Indian mainstream primary healthcare, education, and agriculture systems through a partnership with the State and National Government, apex institutions, international agencies, and private sector partners e.g. innovators, social enterprises and other ecosystem contributors in line with its stated objectives for the betterment of society particularly focusing on projects of national and social significance.
Wadhwani AI, a unit of LEHS, focuses on developing, deploying and evaluating artificial intelligence solutions to address critical social challenges in India, particularly in domains such as healthcare, agriculture, and education.LEHS aims to promote the integration of technologies, particularly in emerging domains like artificial intelligence and innovations into the Indian mainstream agriculture systems through a partnership with the State and National Government, apex institutions, international agencies, and private sector partners e.g. innovators, social enterprises and other ecosystem contributors in line with its stated objectives for the betterment of society particularly focusing on projects of national and social significance. In line with its mission to support projects of national and social significance, LEHS undertakes pilot deployments and systematic data collection to generate diverse datasets that support research, technology refinement, and program development. These efforts extend beyond image data to encompass multiple forms of information, enabling the fine-tuning of advanced models, enhancing identification and analysis capabilities, and driving evidence-based innovations. Through this approach, LEHS delivers scalable and impactful solutions across different domains.
II.BACKGROUND
Agriculture remains the backbone of India’s economy, sustaining the livelihoods of nearly 50% of its population. Yet, pest infestations and crop diseases account for an estimated 20–40% of annual crop losses (FAO), eroding farm incomes and threatening food security. These losses are not only economic—they undermine farmer resilience, reduce market competitiveness, and increase vulnerability to climate change.
Traditional detection methods rely heavily on manual field scouting, where farmers or extension workers visually identify signs of pests and diseases. This approach is slow, labour-intensive, and dependent on the availability and skill of trained personnel. In many regions, a single extension worker may serve 500–1,000 farmers, making timely inspections virtually impossible (Public Sector Agri Extension in India). By the time symptoms are visible, infestations may have already spread, requiring higher chemical use, increasing costs, and further reducing yields.
Image-based pest and disease detection systems, clubbed with management advisory, offer a breakthrough in crop protection. By leveraging smartphone cameras and AI algorithms, farmers can capture crop images in the field and receive instant analysis to identify pests and diseases. In states like Maharashtra and Punjab, pilot projects have shown that timely AI-assisted interventions can reduce pest-related losses by up to 30%. Scaling such solutions nationally could protect millions of farmers and significantly boost India’s agricultural output.
Wadhwani AI is conducting a pilot testing cum data collection through CropAce app, an AI-powered tool for selected pest and disease identification in four crops: Cotton, Maize, Chilli, and Rice. The deployment focuses on collecting high-quality image data to support fine-tuning of the machine learning models, while also assessing the impact and usability of the AI intervention. The initiative aims to generate insights and stakeholder feedback to inform future improvements and broader adoption of the solution.
This RFP invites multiple highly qualified agencies, including Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), CGIAR institutes, NGOs, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and CSR foundations to participate in the pilot deployment of the CropAce application in identified focused crops (Rice, Cotton, Maize, and Chilli). Through this RFP, LEHS aims to onboard multiple organizations that can collectively cover the full range of target crops and undertake systematic deployment of the CropAce application during Kharif 2026.
Submission Details
All responses to this RFP must be received no later than March 31, 2026. The proposal should be submitted only through e-mail in PDF format, addressed to the Procurement Team at the following e-mail id: rfp.lehs@wadhwaniai.org . The email's subject line must contain the reference number and title of the RFP: Proposal for CropAce_RFP 2.0_Kharif_2026 _Pilot Deployment – WIAI (Name of the Agency).
Any proposals received by Wadhwani-AI after the deadline for submission of proposals prescribed in the timeline of this document are liable to be rejected.
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below