Precision Agriculture: Making Data-Driven Decisions Accessible
"Precision agriculture has been around for years, but it remains expensive, complex, and designed for large operations," says Simone Kartsiotis, CEO and CTO of Agrobit. The company, specializing in digital transformation and integrated management for agriculture, aims to make these tools accessible to smaller growers, enabling them to reduce water and crop protection product use based on data.
Pressures on Fresh Produce Businesses
"Energy, fertilizer, and crop protection costs are higher than ever, leaving little room for error. Skilled labor is scarce, especially for seasonal tasks, so every field walk is time taken away from other tasks," Kartsiotis explains.
Unpredictable weather patterns, including late frosts, heatwaves, and concentrated rainfall, make it challenging to rely on traditional field insights. Additionally, retailers and international buyers are demanding consistent quality, predictable sizing, guaranteed volumes, and environmental data, increasing the pressure on growers.
Fragmented Information and Gut Feeling
Kartsiotis highlights the challenge of holding together fragmented information and making decisions based on gut feeling.
The agricultural sector is making progress, but at varying speeds. Large corporations have structured systems and in-house agronomists, while smaller growers often rely on paper notebooks and WhatsApp. Agrobit chose the smartphone as its primary tool because, as Kartsiotis notes, "everyone already has one in their pocket."
From Traceability to Forecasting
In the fresh produce industry, batch traceability is crucial, as it enables quick responses to quality issues. However, Kartsiotis emphasizes that understanding the quality of a batch well in advance of harvest is equally important. By linking vigor, fruit load, and weather trends to each batch, traceability becomes a forecasting tool.
Agrobit's focus is on the pre-harvest window, providing georeferenced data that businesses can export or integrate into their systems. Kartsiotis emphasizes the power of "a few data points, but the right ones at the right time."
Changing Decisions with Data
There are four key data types that can change decisions:
- Crop vigor and variability: Manage by zone instead of uniformly.
- Disease and pest risk: Intervene only when necessary.
- Water status: Irrigate plants where and when needed.
- Fruit load: Plan harvest, labor, and sales.
ERP Integration and Environmental Footprint
Integrating agronomic management with an ERP system offers a single version of the facts, linking field data to business data. This enables cost calculations per field, aligns expected production with sales planning, and contributes to understanding the environmental footprint.