European researchers from Capgemini have developed a platform called Project FARM (Financial and Agricultural Recommendation Models) which aims to boost farmers’ yield, optimise the value chain, and bolster the global food supply.

Project FARM is first going to be used in Kenya to assist coffee farmers. The platform was built in collaboration with East Africa-based social enterprise firm Agrics which provides local farmers with agricultural products and services on credit.

Julian van Velzen, a data analyst at Capgemini who leads Project FARM, said:

“By connecting farming communities with data science, and big data with traditional farming methods, the FARM platform is built to optimise the value chain and bring parties together as an ecosystem around one data-driven platform.

The platform can pave the way for bringing automated farming to small-scale farmers. With the increasing availability of open data and decreasing prices of sensors and satellite imagery, the future of farming is bright.”

AI is used to analyse farm data sourced from Agrics in addition to satellite data from Project Sobloo, a Copernicus Data and Information Access Service (DIAS). 

A dashboard provides insights to the farmer with tailor-made advice on how to optimise production. This advice can also be sent via SMS so, for example, an alert can be issued to take precautions if a crop-damaging thunderstorm is due the next day.

On the business-side, Agrics is able to use the data to foresee any risks that may impact each farmer and their investment.

Violanda de Man, Innovation Manager at Agrics East Africa, commented:

“Through our interactions with the farmers, we are on top of a huge reservoir of data. We can now turn this data into meaningful insights, which allows us to provide time and location-specific products and services to increase yield and lower risk at farm and value chain level.

Increased value chain effectiveness will help to directly improve the income and food security of rural populations.”

The global demand for food is expected to increase by 60 percent by 2050 and most of the world’s population is fed primarily by small farmers in developing countries. Supporting these farmers isn’t just the moral thing to do; it also helps to keep food on all of our plates.

Earlier this week, Fairtrade warned that coffee could become a luxury due to climate change affecting production. According to Catherine David, head of commercial partnerships at Fairtrade, issues like extreme temperatures, increased humidity, and pests are hitting farmers’ crops.

Meanwhile, a growing population is living longer and the demand for coffee is increasing. Combined with the expected production issues, the quality of coffee is expected to decrease while prices rocket.

I don’t know about you, but I need my coffee and would rather not have to take out a loan for my fix.

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Retail is a major focus of AI but there’s debate over whether it will have a positive or negative on society, especially with regards to jobs. Some believe AI will assist existing jobs while others take a view it will replace workers.

Capgemini found just one percent of retailers have achieved the level of AI deployment needed to reach its full potential.

Kees Jacobs, VP of Global Consumer Products and Retail Sector at Capgemini, said:

“For global retailers, it appears reality has kicked in regarding AI, both in terms of what the technology can achieve and what they need to do to get there.

Of course, deploying and scaling will be the next big objective, but retailers should be wary not to chase ROI figures without also considering the customer experience.”

Most retailers, according to the researchers, are focusing their efforts on using AI for sales and marketing purposes. The company notes AI has the potential to be used across the value chain.

“Our research shows a clear imbalance of organizations prioritizing cost, data and ROI when deploying AI, with only a small minority considering the customer pain points also,” comments Jacobs.

“These two factors need to be given equal weighting if long-term AI growth, with all of the benefits it brings, is to be achieved.”

400 global retailers who’ve implemented AI were studied for the research; accounting for 23 percent of the global retail market by revenue. Public data from the world’s largest 250 retailers by revenue was also included.

Over a quarter (28%) of retailers had deployed AI in 2018, up from just 17 percent in 2017.

As for the job loss fears, 71 percent of the retailers said AI was creating jobs. However, 68 percent of the roles were of a senior level which could be out the reach of lower-skilled retail workers AI may displace.

Currently, 75 percent report AI has not replaced any jobs in their organisation.

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