35 buckets | jointly promote the application of cutting-edge technologies in the agricultural industry.
Editor’s note: This article comes from WeChat public account “35 Dou” (ID: vcearth), the author’s 35 Dou friends. p>
The concept of FaaS is derived from SaaS (Software as a Service). SaaS refers to the provision of services to enterprises through Internet information technology, so that enterprises do not need to purchase software and hardware equipment and recruit technical staff, but instead purchase or rent Professional software can obtain the required information services. Common SaaS services include office systems, customer management systems, and collaborative office systems. As the name suggests, FaaS is software that targets farms and farmers, and also provides functions such as supplies, markets, and internal management. span> p>
The current mainstream FaaS is divided into three categories: span> p>
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Data-driven farm management decision software, similar to expert systems; span> p> li>
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Production process management software, including agricultural materials and equipment, labor, inventory, etc.; span> p> li>
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A market service platform that connects producers, distribution links, buyers, and consumers. It may also be accompanied by financial and insurance services. span> p> li>
ol>span> FaaS is not a static concept. It can be combined with vertical agriculture and agricultural robots to promote the application of cutting-edge technologies in the agricultural industry. span> p>
Infarm vertical agriculture: strong> Is agriculture as a service the future of agriculture? strong>
h3>Agriculture is a huge industry, and for good reason. As the global population grows, the issue of food supply is imminent. At the same time, 17% of global carbon dioxide emissions come from the food production sector, and current agricultural practices seem unsustainable. However, this is changing as humans explore innovative vertical agricultural strategies. Vertical agricultural startups like Infarm are trying to completely disrupt the industry. span> p>
Infarm is a Berlin-based vertical agricultural startup that aims to disrupt agriculture with vertical agricultural technology. More than 40 such companies around the world are currently exploring how to replace traditional agricultural methods with indoor agriculture. Among them, Infarm has been significantly expanding its vertical agricultural operations, occupying an important position globally. Therefore, the operation of Infarm and its vertical agriculture deserves careful study. p>
Infarm CEO and co-founder Erez Galonska mentioned: “Infarm was founded with a grand vision to meet the needs of future cities by bringing farms closer to consumers. Infarm’s financing is designed to further expand the business.” p>
Infarm is a vertical agricultural startup founded in 2013 by Osnat Michaeli, Erez Galonska and Guy Galonska. Although the company is relatively young, its impact cannot be underestimated. At present, it has more than 200 farms in the store, 150 farms in the distribution center, and more than 150,000 plants are harvested every month. Its vertical agricultural model has been developed in France, Switzerland and Germany, and will be extended to the UK this fall. span> p>
What is Infarm’s vertical agricultural approach? Infarm offers independent modules for growing herbs, lettuces, fruits and various vegetables. But instead of putting them on farmland, Infarm places them in restaurants, grocery stores, and even schools, so customers can “harvest” their products directly. strong> This revolutionary concept and the technology behind it is exactly why Infarm received more than $ 134 million in funding. p>
Hiro Tamura underscores Infarm’s success as a vertical agricultural startup. He said: “The consumption of fresh produce places a huge burden on the global environment, and this burden will only increase as the urban population increases. All of this is not sustainable in the long term. Infarm perfected the Trinity to address this A huge global problem … With Infarm, software will no longer eat the world, but feed the world. Strong> “ p>
Infarm’s vertical agriculture module is not just displayed in restaurants or grocery stores. All of its modules are connected to Infarm’s central control center via the cloud. At the command center, plant nutrition, light and water use in each area are monitored to ensure optimal conditions. More importantly, Infarm uses data analytics and IoT big data to continuously advance its operations. In essence, companies have changed the process of traditional agriculture by using these technologies. In other words, Infarm’s “Agriculture as a Service” platform puts the farm directly in front of customers and provides fresh, organic, and high-quality food. span> p>
Bypassing the farm and using the “Agriculture as a Service” platform offers many other benefits besides customer engagement. Compared to traditional farms, Infarm reportedly uses 95% less water and 75% less fertilizer. Similarly, its approach eliminates 90% of the transport burden of bringing food to its destination. This is important because almost half of all agricultural nutrients are lost during transport. Finally, the Infarm rootThis does not use any pesticides. It is clear that this vertical agricultural solution provides a more sustainable option for traditional agriculture. p>
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Infarm is a relatively young vertical agricultural startup, but It has promoted the development of the entire industry. Recently, Infarm received another $ 100 million in venture capital and debt financing. The funding will help Infarm expand its reach to the United Kingdom, the United States, Asia and the rest of Europe. As a result, the startup increased its plan to grow 50 vertical agricultural regions per quarter to 350 per quarter. Infarm believes that through its big data learning analysis, together with important partners, it can achieve business expansion without sacrificing quality. p>With its “plug and play” module, Infarm makes it easy for companies to implement vertical agricultural systems. Leaving aside space constraints, companies will not only be attracted to cutting food transportation costs, but also to provide better products at affordable prices. With all these and huge sustainability advantages in mind, vertical agriculture could eventually bring about significant disruption to agriculture. Because of companies like Infarm applying “agriculture as a service” innovation, this disruption is coming. p>
Small Robot Company: part of a new wave of precision agriculture strong> h3>
With the stagnation of crop productivity and the reduction of farmland, how will we feed 10 billion people on the planet by 2050? The answer is agricultural production using small robots. p>
Small Robot Company (“Small Robot Company”), an agricultural technology startup, was established in London two years ago and is now working to build an AI-powered and agile super-machinery team , To achieve the effect of using fewer chemicals and fertilizers (specifically 95% fewer chemicals and 90% less fertilizer) to increase crop yields by at least 40%. span> p>
In the past, mass-produced agriculture was defined and implemented as a fast but inaccurate production method (this is like “if you see a weed, spray the entire field with pesticides” Rough agricultural practices). p>
The result is that these batch agricultural practices are not only resource intensive but also inefficient. For example, heavy tractors can damage the soil and root structure of plants and further cause soil erosion; pesticides and fertilizers used by farmers uncontrollably (of which 40% of the chemicals are actually evenNot in contact with crops) is not only costly, wasteful, but extremely harmful to the environment. And the popular nitrogen fertilizer on the market can even infiltrate the soil, causing pollution (a large amount of Wales-sized algae has been gushing off the coast of Mexico, which is thought to be related to the nitrogen fertilizer infiltrating the soil). p>
Small robotics companies are part of a new wave of precision agriculture (known as “precise Ag” in this field). It uses robots to autonomously, and more importantly, completely based on each individual Crop demand for “seeding, fertilizing and weeding.” p>
On the one hand, the benefits of customized care to the environment are: promoting biodiversity, eliminating most chemical waste and excess resource investment, and reducing the field damage that tractors can cause Tractor, for example John Deere tractor, is much lighter). span> p>
On the other hand, custom care is also good for farmers, as shown in the following: reducing costs for farmers by as much as 60% (due to the reduction of huge investments such as chemicals and fertilizers). In addition, these robots can also complete weeding. Waiting for heavy work, this can theoretically free up more time for farmers to do other things. p>
Let’s see what the “agricultural workers of the future world” look like. p>
A small robotics company is launching a team of four complementary “agricultural experts”: p>
Team 1) Tom strong> p>
Tom uses AI technology to monitor the soil of each square meter of farmland and the status of each plant, and to know the latest situation of the farm in digital form (for example, does the plant need watering?), he can even make suggestions to guide farmers to use Suitable fertilizers or chemicals to optimize the yield of agricultural products. Tom even controls Dick and Harry (his left and right arms, also a farm robot), and is responsible for sending the report back to Wilma. p>
Team 2) Dick strong> p>
Dick is responsible for fertilizing, and it also uses non-chemical weeding (using its rechargeable arm). p>
Team 3) Harry strong> p>
Harry is a seeder. He can do sowing under the premise of judging the health of the soil (the verification of soil health is actually achieved through the line of code). In addition, he was able to return data on where each seed was planted. p>
Team 4) Wilma strong> p>
Wilma uses all the data sent back to her by the other three team members. With the help of AI software and the company’s crop data model, Wilma helps farmers make decisions and recommendations on the timing of fertilization, farm care and crop sales. . p>
Why all the research on small robots is progressing, strong> So exciting? Strong> p>
Although agriculture has experienced the Industrial Revolution, the end of this revolution is not satisfactory. Like many mature technologies, the increase in crop yields (including those of fertilizers and chemicals) has actually followed the classic S-curve. Over the past three decades, growth in crop yields has remained stable. span> p>
Take wheat as an example. From 1930 to 1990, its productivity increased fourfold, but because wheat has now become a global trade commodity, its price has not increased (the same is true for barley and oats). p>
As a result, farm profits are getting thinner. Revenues and profits from consolidable crops have remained stable for 250 years. But production costs (such as the price of chemicals and fertilizers) have been rising, and the prices of large and expensive machinery (such as heavy tractors) have also been rising. p>
The EU subsidies support 85% of British farmers’ income (otherwise they might not even have a profit). But as the Brexit process draws near, the vast majority of British farmers may be in trouble. p>
At this time, small robot companies can play a very important role in removing farmers from the predicament, and this role does not need to rely on government help. span> span> p>
Sam Watson Jones is the co-founder of Small Robotics. He has been a farmer for a long time, but he also worked briefly in the management consulting department of Accenture. After leaving his office to work, Sam returned to his family farm in central England and found that “agricultural complexes are simply useless.” span> p>
“In an industry that has remained unchanged for decades, the opportunity that lies in using technology to generate change will be great. p>
Sam has also witnessed a large exile in agriculture: children from longtime farming families are quickly seeking other kinds of jobs. “As farmers, we spend a lot of time doing tasks that are unique to humans, such as sitting on a tractor for manipulation,” Sam shared. “And robots can better automate and mechanize these things, soPut farmers on the farm to do more valuable and creative tasks. “ P>
Science and technology developed by small robotics companies can also enable farmers to focus on “adding value to food production in a non-manual way” by releasing their energy, thereby bringing greater social benefits. In turn, this may help change people’s perceptions of the role of farmers and future perceptions of food-related occupations. p>
When we asked Sam about the idea that robots could completely replace the work of farmers, he explained that mechanization had gradually begun to replace the work of farmers, and that the work of his robotic team would enable farmers to start doing more meaningful work. span> p>
Sam and his team had talked with farmers many times before setting up a small robotics company. The results of the talk showed that Sam’s potential customers averse to risk when making large-scale investments in new technologies. Will be enhanced. span> p>
Farmers, especially those with smaller production scales, have no budget for new equipment. Also, they don’t want to risk buying new and expensive machines (especially robots). span>
p>Agriculture as a service (FaaS) is actually a farmer’s own idea. In this service, agribusinesses rent robots by paying subscription fees. This model allows small robotics companies to open up a new market where capital expenditure would otherwise be an obstacle, while reducing the risk to their customers. span>
p>With regard to the Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability, “large agriculture emphasizes efficiency, not sustainability,” explains Sam. span>
p>Precision agriculture can both re-introduce biodiversity and redesign the countryside. Due to restrictions on the use of machinery, farms have traditionally been limited to using square fields and growing single crops. With these small agricultural robots, farmers can harvest crops on a crop-by-crop basis on any piece of land that looks like “awkwardly shaped.” Farms can even grow multiple different crops on the same land, reducing the need for chemicals: biodiversity naturally limits the spread of disease. There is no longer a need for crop rotation. For example, plants that naturally fix nitrogen can be planted next to plants that require nitrogen. span>
p>While Sam believes that sustainability is the core reason why small robotics companies exist, Sam also acknowledges that sustainability “doesn’t take into account the daily operations of startups.” Instead, the key to growing small robotics companies is to reduce farmers’ costs. “Then we will have a successful business and achieve our sustainability goals.” Span> p>
Fortunately, smallThe carefully-designed agricultural model promoted by the robot company can reduce the cost of farmers, meanwhile, it can reduce the consumption of the earth. . p>
Disclaimer: This article is from 35 buckets. Reproduction is prohibited without authorization. p>