Barcelona - based agtech ship’s company , Enkitek , has introduced its Co - Farmer platform , an AI - enhanced , IoT - driven solution that integrates seamlessly with existing computer hardware to have tangible - prison term brainwave and operational efficiency .
Victor Cantón Ferrer , Enkitek ’s CEO , and its Sales Manager , Angeline Watson , shared their imaginativeness for the platform and how they believe it is set to transform vertical farm , glasshouse , and even undetermined - field cultivation .
The Enkitek team , from left to rightfulness : Irina Craicau ( Project Manager ) , Victor Pechobierto ( IoT Engineer ) , Marc Arias Mitjà ( Robotics & AI Engineer ) , Angeline Watson ( Sales Manager ) and Víctor Cantón Ferrer ( CEO & Co - Founder )
A software - first , adaptable approachCantón Ferrer is clear about the company ’s ism , explaining that the platform ’s design is centred on tractability and cost efficiency . " Co - Farmer is design to connect with any sensor or gadget you may think . This allow us to integrate with existing systems instead of farm having to buy new equipment every time technology evolves . One of the biggest challenge for farmers is keep off incessant investment in new hardware . With Co - Farmer , they can use what they already have while still win the benefit of AI and automation . "
The program is built to go with a miscellany of sensor and computer hardware , making it compatible with existing farm substructure without demand costly upgrade . Instead of overtake their systems , growers can well integrate Co - Farmer into their current setup . Whether they commence with a little kit supporting up to 300 equipment or descale up to thousands of devices , the platform adjusts to meet their pauperism .
Watson highlights how this adaptability is critical for market adoption . " We ’re dealing with an industry that has really thin margins , and we do n’t want to go in and say , ' Well , you have to change a whole bunch of stuff so you may integrate Modern technical school . ' Instead , we concentre on adapting to our customers rather than storm them to adapt to us . Co - Farmer is designed to fit into existing workflows , making it easier for farms to transition to smart engineering without disrupting their operations . "
Harnessing AI for information - drive insightsAt the sum of Co - Farmer is AI , which transforms in the altogether datum into virtual testimonial . Cantón Ferrer is upfront about the challenges of implementing AI in agriculture .
" AI is n’t magic , it needs data to work efficaciously . If you only have four data points , you wo n’t get meaningful prognostication . That ’s why we focalise on helping farms add the right sensors and collect enough datum , " he says . " The more information the system has , the more precise and worthful its brainstorm become over sentence . "
Co - Farmer applies machine encyclopaedism good example that continuously evolve , amend accuracy with each new dataset . This guarantee farm receive tailor recommendations based on their specific environment . ab initio , the weapons platform discover common issues , such as overwatering , pest infestation , or diseases , by processing images in the cloud . Over time , as more data is gathered , the system provides increasingly precise forecasts .
James Watson stress that AI take patience to show its full potential . " With AI , I think it ’s so important to be upfront with people . This is n’t a plug - and - play solution that work overnight . It ’s all about foresightful - term information ingathering , " she says . " The more time the system has to gather and analyse data , the better the brainstorm become . If a farm expects immediate results without feed the organisation enough data point , the prognostication wo n’t be useful . “The Co - Farmer dashboardEnsuring reliable connectivityConnectivity is a major concern for many farms , particularly those in removed or hush-hush locations . " This is a big issue because many farm are obscure or have social organization that blocking signals . We defend multiple technologies to ensure stable communicating , " Cantón Ferrer pronounce .
" For short distances , we utilise Wi - Fi and Zigbee , which solve well in closed environments , and for long distances , we integrate LoRa , a long - orbit wireless communications protocol that can connect devices up to 10 kilometre away . Even if a farm loses its net association , Co - Farmer continues execute offline , storing all data point topically and syncing it once the connection is restored . "
For more advanced setups , Co - Farmer also desegregate with swarm - found meshwork , allow growers to monitor their farm remotely . This flexibility see to it continuous data point collection and automation , even in difficult environments .
Return on investment and ongoing supportCo - Farmer is designed to optimise efficiency through automation and real - sentence monitoring , which Cantón Ferrer explains leads to measurable monetary value saving . " Think about a vertical farm with multiple shelves , where ignition , irrigation , and mood control all call for to be manage . With Co - Farmer , farms can automatise these processes , detect problems instantly , and respond in substantial - time . The efficiency gains alone can be the equivalent weight of employ an superfluous full - time employee , without the extra labour costs . "
Farms using Co - Farmer have reported up to 20 % diminution in water and muscularity consumption , demonstrating the impact of AI - driven efficiency . Watson bestow that it ’s not just about automation , but about using datum to make good decisions . " We do n’t need to go into a farm and tell growers that they ’ve flummox to move their shelves or change how they ’re turn to use our scheme , " she says . " rather , Co - Farmer is about helping farm rectify their process while keeping trading operations tend smoothly . By consecrate agriculturalist readable , data - driven recommendation , we make it easier for them to ameliorate efficiency without test and error . "
The Co - Farmer starter packEarly - adopter campaignsAs part of its rollout strategy , Enkitek is extend growers an opportunity to get to know the Co - Farmer arrangement . " We want to make it soft for farms to get started , so we ’re offer a special campaign where other adopters encounter six months of free software program licensing , " Cantón Ferrer explain . " This gives them time to experience the benefits of carbon monoxide - Farmer before committing long - terminal figure . These early drug user will also get precedence memory access to future updates and AI improvement . " This initiative aims to lower the barrier to entry , allowing farms to explore the benefits of AI - ride agriculture with minimal danger .
Cantón Ferrer says that the goal is to offer a " smart cost " solution that integrates with whatever ironware a grower may already have , constitute the shift to digital husbandry practical and monetary value - effective .
Watson believes this switching is inevitable as more farms see the voltage of AI . " mass are still issue forth around to the idea of AI in agribusiness , and many still think it ’s just some sci - fi concept , but at the end of the twenty-four hour period , AI is only as good as the datum it ’s fed , " she says . " The more raiser expend systems like Co - Farmer , the clearer it will become that this engineering science is not a lavishness , but a necessary for stick around competitive in the future of agriculture . "
For more information : EnkitekVictor Cantón Ferrer , CEO[email protected]www.enkitek.euAngeline Watson , Sales Manager[email protected]www.enkitek.eu
© FloralDaily.com/Wesley Francis
