Farmers in Mahabaleshwar, the centre of India’s strawberry industry, are adopting hydroponics, weather-monitoring systems and crop research to reduce losses caused by unstable conditions. Its light, well-drained soil also supports strawberry cultivation, although plants must be replaced each season. Farmers Depend on Imported Strawberry PlantsIndia has yet to develop a widely used domestic strawberry variety, leaving farmers reliant on plants originating from California, Florida, Italy and Spain. Researchers at Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre are working to produce an Indian strawberry variety. AI Forecasts Help Farmers Time Crop TreatmentsFarmer Producer Organisations have installed weather towers at four locations in Mahabaleshwar.