Fresno siblings receive scholarships for drought technology

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A brother and sister from Fresno are being recognized and rewarded for coming up with technology to help farmers better prepare for drought conditions.

17-year-old John and 15-year-old Pauline Estrada received a $25,000 scholarship through the Davidson Fellows Scholarship Program.

They created a model that predicts the drought stress of tomato plants in California. Its goal is to better utilize water resources.

The siblings' research shows the model could save as much as 26 billion gallons of water each year.

John says he hopes the new technology will help end food insecurity around the world.

The Clovis North pair were two out of only 21 students across the country to earn the scholarship.