May 4, 2022
Stock Photo of Urban Farm
Editor’s Note: Following their partnership in the newest climate-resilient AgTech project in the Czech Republic with Microsoft and Asahi Breweries that seeks to increase the resilience of hops and beer production, Agritecture and TensoAI have decided to continue working together to build additional tools to empower farmers with the information they need to gain more control over their crops.
Risks associated with conventional agriculture have shot up in recent years. Challenged by an increasing frequency of climatic threats and supply chain disruptions, farmers across the globe face uncertainty in their farm operations and yield planning.
Farm planning expert Agritecture and AgTech company TensoAI are pleased to announce the launch of a new partnership to build crop models that will help reduce uncertainty for farmers moving into the future.
The duo is currently working in partnership to develop predictive models for hops yield and alpha acid content for the Saaz hops variety as part of the For Hops project.
Arix Farm in the Czech Republic; image sourced from the Agritecture team for the For Hops project
The development of this crop model will help the entire hops industry in numerous ways:
Farmers benefit by having reliable models to predict pivotal outcomes for their business. They also have guidance on how to allocate critical resources, such as water, and how to utilize management practices to increase both yield and alpha acid content.
Hops processors benefit by having a clearer estimate of what regional yields will look like, allowing them to schedule labor and equipment appropriately.
Brewers benefit by better understanding their supply chain and allowing them to make contingency plans for additional raw materials as needed.
To build these models, data is coming from numerous sources including farmer-reported data from pilot farms, camera images, sensor data generating environmental and soil data, real-time plant monitoring data, historical weather data, and satellite imagery. The project uses on-farm sensor data to help “calibrate” data coming from satellite imagery so the models can extend far beyond the locations where sensors have been installed.
The new partnership is being led by Ramen Dutta, CEO & Founder of TensoAI in conjunction with Agritecture’s Lead Agronomist, David Ceaser.
“Our goal is to expand the work to other crops and environments. Farmers face more and more uncertainty related to weather, precipitation, disease and yields. Any tools we can build to help them have a clearer picture of the future will help ensure farmer livelihoods and food security. ”
“Additionally, quality and quantity metrics play an important role for farmers and suppliers alike. Understanding these metrics during crop production can greatly improve operational efficiency during the harvesting and processing stages. By utilizing predictive analysis tools, our goal is to provide insight into the upcoming challenges that climate change poses in crop production. ”
What models are next?
Stock Photo of Urban Farm
The team is still researching what models to work on next and where they can have the greatest positive impact on the global food system. Strawberries and leafy greens are of particular interest since they are more delicate crops that are very dependent on the variation in the weather and environmental conditions.
Models that have quality markers associated with them such as the alpha acid content in hops, Brix in strawberries and basil are also of particular interest since the models being developed could help identify the most important levers to pull to achieve desired outcomes. This could save farmers a lot of time, energy, and resources, leading to increased operational efficiencies and improved crop yields.
The team would also like to improve the models that are currently available for regenerative agriculture. Ceaser comments that “regenerative ag has become a buzzword over the past few years and investment in this sector is staggering. The models being used to calculate the potential carbon sequestration of different management practices have a lot of room for improvement.”
Reach out to help build a more resilient global food system!
Agritecture and TensoAI believe that they can improve on these and numerous other crop models, and in turn, benefit numerous aspects of society. If you have a project that you think is relevant, please reach out to Agritecture’s Lead Agronomist, David Ceaser.
