AI for Social Good impACT Ideathon – Bhutan

● Possible crop yield instability, loss of production and quality (due to variable rainfall, temperature, etc.), decreased water availability for crop production, and increased risk of extinction of already threatened crop species (traditional crop varieties).

● Loss of soil fertility due to erosion of topsoil and runoff; loss of fields due to flash floods; and loss of soil and nutrients.

● Crop yield loss (flowers & fruit drop) to hailstorms; deteriorated produce quality (fruit & vegetables) due to unanticipated heavy rains and hailstorms.

● Crop segregation using computer vision and models. The segregation of cash crops is currently done manually, requiring intense resources.

● Electricity in Bhutan is generated mostly from hydropower, an energy source which is renewable unlike fossil-fuel driven power plants that are major contributors to carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.

● Over the last one decade, the electricity consumption of an average Bhutanese has increased almost by threefolds. There is a need to shift towards understanding consumption behaviors and habits, and to utilize data to shift towards efficient use, and supply.

● Bhutan faces many water conflicts due to issues of water scarcity. According to the Natural Environment Commission, there is an expected 50% increase in water demand by 2030.  These problems, coupled with economic advancement and climate change threaten to exacerbate water issues.

● Loss of safe (drinking) water resources increasing water-borne diseases

● Inadequate water resource management has led to a mismatch between water supply and water demand.

● Soil stability along landslide prone sections of the national highway

● With exponential growth of the number of vehicles and the increasing movement across the country, issues within transportation are on the rise. The country still largely depends on manual systems, most of which are time consuming and give way to human error.

● A potential challenge related to Fintech analytics. So many transactions in Bhutan are now cashless from various mobile bank apps, e-wallets, etc. Some sort of system or solution which can consolidate and analyze all this information and generate insight would solve the problem of this valuable information not being used.

● A great deal of written works and information (documents, rules, regulations, forms etc) are in the national language making most of it inaccessible to public without the help of interpreters

● Throughout its strides towards economic development, Bhutan has made conscious efforts towards ensuring the survival of its cultural identity. However, even with major policy approaches, Bhutan still faces potential loss of culture. While globalization and technology adoption have given rise to an abundant access to information, much of Bhutan’s heritage is passed on and protected through rituals, oral history, and artifacts. This inaccessibility has led to a diminished platform for local traditions to thrive.