ListenField helps farmers use AI and ML

ListenField innovative AgTech StartUp

Growing up in Thailand, he saw the difficulties farmers faced, such as the increasing demand for food, the labor scarcity, and the unpredictable crop yields brought on by climate change. This led to a situation where many smallholder farmers were unable to decrease food insecurity because of poor yields but were also unable to make the necessary investments for a more lucrative future.

He was committed to changing things, after completing his information management master’s degree. He joined a study at the University of Tokyo where we monitored spinach fields in Thailand using sensors. Impressive results were obtained from this pioneering experiment in precision farming. They demonstrated that organic crops could be cultivated with little to no fertilizer usage, and customers profited with Thai spinach of greater quality. 

He was motivated by this in 2017 to launch ListenField. By gathering information from many sources, such as field sensors, soil scans, meteorological data, seasonal predictions, and satellite imaging, they want to revolutionize farm management. We provide farmers knowledge that enables them to maximize production “from soil to harvest” by modeling this data.

An abundance of agricultural information

Our prediction platform, which combines crop health monitoring, growth prediction, and soil nutrition analysis, is heavily reliant on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Our FarmAI Mobile App allows farmers to apply real-time information to their calendar, and our FarmAI Dashboard enables agri-food companies to work with farmers and agronomists to develop more profitable and environmentally friendly producing methods.

Their business strategy also includes AgroAPI, which makes their analytics accessible to other parties. Customers may integrate deep analytics into their applications, such as crop growth forecasting and remote sensing analysis, without having to independently create complex algorithms and data pipelines.

They are also enthusiastic about the genetic prediction study they are doing in association with the Japanese government and many research firms. Breeders and seed firms may upload their genomic data to their Data-Driven Breeding Platform and obtain useful insights that assist hasten the reproduction of high-quality seeds and plants.

Our technique is now used by over 30,000 farmers, mostly in Vietnam and Thailand where it is used to increase rice, cassava, and sugar cane yields. Farmers of oranges and mangoes are also getting access to the technology, which will allow them to monitor specific trees and modify watering to increase the sweetness of the fruit when it comes time to harvest.

Swift reaction to a changing environment

Their company was currently utilizing another cloud service, but a member of the ListenField team brought Google Cloud to our notice. They were drawn in by the technology as well as the Google for Startups Cloud Program, which gives us Google Cloud credits for our first and second years of use. They also got to know our Account Representative, who offers us savings throughout Google, business and tech support, and training. It’s wonderful to have someone we can turn to who can support us as we go on our business adventure and use Google’s resources to the fullest.

They were able to experiment and make adjustments in response to early tests by easing the strain on their budget and human resources. They were also able to convince both potential and current investors with a strong business case because to their flexibility.

They gained further impetus from Navagis, a Google Cloud Platform Partner that specializes in geospatial data and mapping. The integration of Google Earth Engine, which we use to map agricultural regions, was also greatly aided by them.

Additionally, they utilize Google Workspace for team communication and Firebase for the creation of applications. We can rapidly design, implement, and expand our machine learning models thanks to Colab and Vertex AI, keeping them competitive and appealing to new clients.

Providing female business owners with the chance to succeed

They received assistance from the Google Cloud team and Listenfield coworkers at Navagis in overcoming the difficulties that many early-stage firms encounter. Because of his expertise in research and academics, he valued the commercial perspective that both organizations provided to aid in their further expansion and scaling.

It might be challenging to be a female entrepreneur running a firm, but Google Cloud and Navagis enabled him to establish a powerful network, get finance, and have his opinion heard. Currently, ListenField has a number of female executives, 50% of their researchers, and a significant portion of the farmers using our platform. 

Above all, Google Cloud enables them to fuel a transformation in South-East Asian agriculture. By switching from analog to digital farming, smallholder farmers may increase their yields and cut down on waste. Greater food security and less use of commercial fertilizers, which produce harmful greenhouse gasses, are two other important economic advantages.

And that’s only the start of what they are capable of. The organization’s next goal is to work with 50,000 farmers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one million tonnes. He is certain that they will accomplish these goals despite the fact that it seems ambitious with the support of the Google Cloud and Navagis teams.

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