Safe Farms: Artificial intelligence to combat drug trafficking in the Ecuadorian banana industry

The banana industry in Ecuador plays a relevant role in the country's agricultural exports, accounting for approximately more than 3.5 billion dollars in exports. Given the importance of the sector, the government is working on a plan known as "Safe Farms" to defend itself from the wave of crime that affects the country and poses a serious risk to its banana production, since groups linked to drug trafficking use fruit exports to send drugs in a camouflaged manner to different markets. Faced with the threat, the Banana and Plantain Cluster of Ecuador has united around this plan, with the aim of improving security in its coffee and banana plantations. The plan seeks to eliminate banana fields that are established in rural areas, where some criminal gangs maintain their presence by extorting producers, in some cases with kidnappings, murders and even the contamination of exports with drugs. This is why it is important to provide security, protection for the country and productive ...