Digital Agriculture in LMICs - 23 Oct #33
Wadhwani AI bags $3.3M Google.org grant for pest management tool in India; eFishery, UfarmX launch blockchain solutions in Indonesia, Senegal
20/10/23
India’s Wadhwani AI gets $3.3M for pest disease management tool
Indian nonprofit Wadhwani AI, has been awarded a USD 3.3 million grant from Google.org, the Big Tech’s philanthropic arm. The funding is part of a USD 25 million open call that Google.org has launched for organisations using AI to accelerate progress on the SDGs. It will help Wadhwani AI scale up its solution for cotton farmers to other crops such as rice, wheat, and corn.
Wadhwani AI has developed CottonAce, an AI-powered pest management solution available via an Android app. It helps farmers protect their crops by determining the right time to spray pesticides through localised advice. Lead farmers or extension workers upload a photo of pests collected in commonly used pheromone traps to the app. The AI algorithm identifies and counts the pests in the photo and determines the level of infestation, based on which a set of actionable advisories is given to the farmer. The app works offline and in places with low network coverage. It is available in 9 languages (English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Odia, Punjabi).
Wadhwani AI is also planning to use the Google.org funding to create two language model-based apps that use data sources such as agriculture research and government schemes.
Photo: lamyai/Getty Images
20/10/23
FMO and Endeavor launch agritech accelerator in Africa
Dutch development bank FMO has partnered with Endeavor, a South Africa-based venture building company, for the second edition of the African Agritech Accelerator initiative. The initiative, which will start in January 2024, will help early-stage agritech ventures to develop globally scalable solutions. Endeavor’s 12-18 month Local Scale-Up program provides a tailored mentoring process to enable start-ups engage experts and investors to overcome growth challenges. Agritechs participating in this second cohort will be able to access a network of industry experts and investors to accelerate the growth of their early-stage businesses. Established in 1997, Endeavor has a global network of mentors, growth investors, and entrepreneurs with a track record in accelerating start-ups’ growth in under-developed and emerging markets. This project is funded through the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building component of the FMO Ventures Program Technical Assistance Facility, co-funded by the Government of the Netherlands and the European Union.
18/10/23
Nigeria’s agritech UfarmX to bring AI/blockchain solution to Senegal
UfarmX, a Nigerian startup that digitises the agri value chain, has announced its expansion from Nigeria into Senegal via a strategic partnership with The SEED Project. UfarmX uses blockchain and AI to enable unbanked and underserved smallholder farmers to access climate-smart insights and finance, enhancing productivity and food security. The SEED Project is a Senegal-based youth empowerment and entrepreneurship organisation. UfarmX leverages blockchain technology to establish immutable and trustworthy farmer profiles that monitor transactions across the complete supply chain. Every step from seed to offtake is recorded via QR codes and stored on the public blockchain ledger, enabling traceability in the value chain. This also functions as a comprehensive record, enabling unbanked rural farmers to access institutional finance. UfarmX has to date engaged 1,200 farmers.
12/10/23
Ignitia leverages Vaisala to enhance mobile-based weather forecasts
Tropical weather forecasting start-up Ignitia, a provider of weather and climate advisory for farmers, has partnered with weather technology company Vaisala to add lightning data to its forecast model. Ignitia provides highly localised weather information to West African farmers, leveraging data from weather stations and satellites. Through this partnership, it will be able to integrate lightning data from Vasala’s Global Lightning Detection Network (GLD360). Farmers and other agricultural decision makers will have access to real-time thunderstorm and lightning data. This kind of data will enable Ignitia to provide alerts on storms where infrastructure is scarce and is also expected to improve the overall quality of its weather information services. Ignitia provides weather information to farmers via an app and through partnerships with mobile operators in West Africa. The company has had long-standing partnerships with mobile operators Orange, MTN and 9mobile.
11/10/23
Indonesia’s eFishery plans India entry, launches blockchain digital coop
Indonesian aquatech eFishery is reportedly planning to expand to India as it is increasing exports of fish products to the US. The company, which recently raised USD 200 million becoming the first agritech unicorn in Indonesia, and the only aquatech unicorn globally, plans to start operation in India next year. EFishery is already running a pilot in the country. Pilot projects have also been run in Vietnam and Thailand, with the former likely to be the next entry market. In an interview with Deal Street Asia, eFishery’s CEO Gibran Huzaifah said that India was chosen because of its similarities to Indonesia, especially the presence of many small-scale fish farmers.
The aquatech also announced that it has introduced a blockchain-based digital cooperative, enabling 200,000 Indonesian farmers to easily acquire fish feed and sale their products through the app. Founded in 2013, eFishery initially developed an Internet of Things (IoT) based smart pond management system, and has over time expanded to an end-to-end solution enabling fish farmers to access markets.
11/10/23
OCP and World Bank partner for digital ag in West Africa and the Sahel
Agri input company OCP has partnered with the World Bank to boost food security in West Africa and the Sahel. The partnership targets five million farmers in Benin, Guinea, Mali, and Togo covering 10 million acres. Digital agriculture is at the core of the initiative between the two organisations, which aim to improve soil health and fertility through digital soil mapping and customised fertilisation; establish agritech centres to train and support smallholders; and launch a digital farming school to foster entrepreneurship and boost transformation in the agri-food sector. In addition, OCP and the World Bank aim to strengthen the capacity of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to operationalise its roadmap on fertilisers and soil health and to support of a regional center for soil health ad fertility management hosted by the Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).