PHOTO: MARTIJN KNUIVERS
PHOTO: MICHEL VELDERMAN
GLOBAL VIEW ▶▶▶
Detecting seedlings Especially in the seed stadium, separating crop plants from weeds is difficult. Wageningen Uni- versity is working on a system that makes mul- tiple rounds through the fields in the growth season. All plants are detected and mapped from the very beginning. If later on, it recognis- es a plant as a beetroot, then that means that the seedling in that spot was also a beetroot. When it detects a thistle after, that means that the seedling in that spot was a thistle too. The algorithm now ‘knows’ what both seedlings look like. The system can learn different growth stages and circumstances by itself and by do- ing that, becomes more reliable.
Self-learning algorithms learn like children. Is it a car? No, it is a tractor. Keep repeating it of- ten enough, and sooner or later the difference (also between motor bikes and fire engines) becomes clear.
Four ways big data analytics are transforming agriculture
T BY JEHIEL OLIVER
he digital revolution is quickly transform- ing the world of agri- culture. Taking a close look at mecha-
nisation specifically, we are headed toward a secure food system even as our global popula- tion continues to skyrocket. Companies such as Zenvus, Tro-Tro, Kitovu, ThriveAgric & Farm- crowdy are all enabling the success of mecha- nisation through their offerings, which are largely targeted at smallholder farmers. At Hel- lo Tractor, for instance, we use technologies such as IoT, Machine Learning, and Artificial In- telligence to power our farm equipment shar- ing application that connects tractor owners and smallholder farmers in emerging markets. Our solution not only grants tractor owners the ability to track their tractor and expand their tractors’ serviceable geography to grow their businesses, but also creates equitable ac- cess to tractor services for smallholder farmers.
Financial institutions We recently partnered with IBM to pilot an ad- vanced analytics tool that is envisioned to ena- ble financial institutions be more involved in investing in agriculture, as we identified that
Hello Tractor (where Jehiel Oliver is CEO) has a farm equipment sharing application that con- nects tractor owners and smallholder farmers in emerging markets, so that the latter can rent equipment they cannot afford themselves.
as one of the major challenges limiting the ample supply of tractors across most emerging markets. By doing this, we are adding value to the ecosystem and enabling the sustainability of mechanised agriculture. Aside from the limited availability of machin- ery, there are other challenges that need to be tackled to ensure that modern tools being rolled into the market have maximum impact: smallholder farmers education and technology adoption, a lack of supportive policies that fa- cilitate mechanisation, as well as the high cost
of services due to a lack of proper route plan- ning. With digital technology, the future of agricul- tural mechanisation seems quite promising. Farmers will get more money in their pockets and produce more food in a sustainable way. Contractors can make informed decisions, make more profits and faster growing busi- nesses. However, the challenges impeding the maximum impactfulness of these new tech- nologies must first be addressed to allow for the most productive farming future.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 1 november 2019 47
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