In this article, Zunel van Eeden writes about how drones can be used to improve crop health and yield.
Fresh produce growers play a vital role in food supply safety, but they face their fair share of challenges each season. From managing pests and diseases and optimising irrigation and nutrition to predicting yields and harvest planning, there are numerous decisions to be made before the harvest can be delivered to the packhouse and sold to different markets.
New technologies offer new data sources and platforms, but can also overwhelm the user with information and processes. Aerobotics, a local agritech company celebrating 10 years in the global fruit and nut industry in September, offers a suite of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions tailor-made to help growers, packers and sellers make decisions to improve efficiency and profitability.
Aerobotics was founded in 2014 by South Africans Benji Meltzer and James Paterson, who hold master’s degrees in data science and aeronautical engineering, respectively. Paterson grew up on a citrus farm in Citrusdal, Western Cape, where he learnt first hand the challenges faced by his family and the community of citrus producers. After Paterson studied overseas at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Meltzer at the London Imperial College, they decided to combine their skills in aeronautics and machine learning to find ways to solve farmers’ challenges. They created computer vision software specifically for the fruit and nut industry using AI and imagery collected by drones, and later expanded that to mobile phone imagery.
In a recent interview with Farmer’s Weekly, Victor van den Berg, CEO of Aerobotics, described how the company’s customers use apps and drones to optimise fruit and nut production.
TWO MAIN PRODUCTS
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Denne historien er fra June 21, 2024-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Syngenta Seedcare celebrates a decade of innovation
Syngenta's ambition is to enable their customers' investments to grow in healthy soil from treated seeds to young plants through innovation and collaboration, writes Magda du Toit.
Agri workers shine at Western Cape awards
Lindie-Alet van Staden, a garden and olive orchard manager at L’Ormarins Wine Estate in Franschhoek, was crowned as the Western Cape Prestige Agri-Worker of 2024 at a gala event recently held near Paarl.
Small and large farmers recognised at grain awards
The annual Grain SA/Syngenta awards ceremony bears testimony to the quality of farmers in the grain industry.
Growing partnerships: Fedgroup's flexible and innovative approach
Janine Ryan spoke to Warren Winchester, general manager of impact investing at Fedgroup, about why the company became involved in agriculture, and what it offers farmers and their immediate communities.
Why fish farms fail, and how to avoid becoming a statistic
The popularity of launching fish farms is not matched by their success. Leslie Ter Morshuizen, owner of Aquaculture Solutions, explores the factors that cause most of these businesses to go under.
Where history and modernity meet in a luxurious setting
Brian Berkman kept his eyes peeled for ghosts in the oldest continuously run hotel in South Africa, but all he found was a fabulous two-night stay.
THE HITCHING POST
I'm a stylish elderly lady with a radiant glow and a good sense of humour that keeps me young at heart.
Cutworms: check the weeds on your fields!
Zunel van Eeden explains why understanding the ecological interplay between cutworms and weeds is crucial for effective pest management. Producers should disrupt the life cycle of cutworms to minimise crop damage.
Does high-density grazing mimic grazing patterns of game?
In their paper on high-density grazing in Southern Africa, professors Angelinus Franke and Elmarie Kotzé from the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State say high-density grazing systems may not accurately reflect natural ecosystems. Roelof Bezuidenhout reports.
Global grain outlook: 2024/25 marketing season
In its latest summer crops report, the Crop Estimates Committee says South African farmers intend to plant 4,47 million hectares of summer grains and oilseeds in the 2024/25 season, up 1% from the previous season. As South Africa exports maize and soya bean, Annelie Coleman reports on the latest trends in the international grain and oilseed markets, amid fluctuations in weather conditions and ongoing armed conflicts.
