{"id":55487,"date":"2022-12-19T16:08:04","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:08:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/?p=55487"},"modified":"2022-12-19T16:17:07","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T03:17:07","slug":"driving-positive-change-through-technology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/technology\/driving-positive-change-through-technology\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving positive change through technology"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

North Shore-based WayBeyond develops technology solutions that allow growers across the globe  to do more with less: to harness new technologies, connect disparate systems and leverage plant and environmental data to optimise farming processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WayBeyond story begins in late 2015 when Darryn Keiller had a vision for the future of global agriculture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This vision was Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), combining advanced plant science and the latest technology with an open ecosystem, to provide high yielding and sustainably produced crops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2016, Keiller pitched his vision at an Agritech investor event. Reaction was ambivalent \u2014 few understood what CEA even was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six years later Keiller is recognised globally as one of the pioneers and thought leaders in the CEA sector, which is growing at a rapid rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investment is projected to increase from US$2.4 billion in 2018 to US$18b by 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEA is the umbrella term for different forms of farming that includes indoor or vertical farming, protected cropping (crops that are grown outdoors with some protection against the elements \u2014 for example, hoop houses, tunnel houses or canopies) and greenhouses. Vertical farming dominates the headlines when it comes to CEA but greenhouses are the most mature category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In New Zealand, there are somewhere between 180 to 250 hectares of commercial greenhouses. Globally there are 500,000 hectares and the sector is growing by up to 10% per year. The size of the prize and the complexity of the challenge attracted Keiller to the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur focus is almost completely offshore because that\u2019s where the opportunity is,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got people on the ground in key markets \u2014 for example, Mexico \u2014 and we\u2019ve partnered with some great companies in other countries including Vietnam. We\u2019re working with the large multinational corporate growers (MNCs) and the seed and agrochemical giants because they\u2019re trying to solve the same problems we are. These MNCs are a channel to the customer and they\u2019re hugely influential. WayBeyond is closely aligned with these MNCs around where the industry needs to go and how it\u2019s likely to get there and the potential collaboration with these companies is very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keiller\u2019s introduction to the horticulture sector came in 2014 when he started working with Autogrow, a climate computer and farm automation company that develops systems for small-to-medium fresh produce growers to control the growing environment \u2014 heating, cooling and so on.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially an investor, he was appointed Autogrow\u2019s chief executive in 2016 and saw an opportunity to transform the sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an extensive career in the business technology sector behind him, Keiller was surprised at how little innovation there was in horticulture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could see a way to harness technology,\u201d he says. \u201cUsing technology to solve problems is something I understand really well. When I first started, growers were essentially farming the same way they had for the last 100 years. There was no significant investment in robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), or data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe thing is, robots are not the answer for many farmers. Apart from the huge conglomerate growers, most operations, in New Zealand and globally, are not set up to optimise that type of advanced technology. They need an alternative way to increase yield and productivity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Folium is WayBeyond\u2019s climate monitoring system that analyses the temperature, humidity, radiation and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in a greenhouse, giving growers a comprehensive overview of the microclimate and optimal growing conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant sensors monitor the physiological response of the plant to the environment, nutrients and other inputs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, growing decisions were largely based on the farmers\u2019 expertise and intuition. Now, the data supports the grower to make more informed decisions based on science and technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe goal [of growers] is consistent output. Consistency is not just a function of volume, it\u2019s a function of quality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u2019s FarmRoad crop management software enables growers to bring together all of their farming data in one powerful, unified, and easy-to-use platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re creating a knowledge based system for farmers,\u201d Keiller said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur technology is based on a framework developed by the plant research industry: Genetics x Environment x Management (GxExM). Those are the three big levers you can pull to optimise a crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCurrently, there\u2019s no silver bullet for more predictable and stable yields because of the complexity involved in trying to control these different levers. The goal is consistent output. Consistency is not just a function of volume, it\u2019s a function of quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe big challenge for the horticulture industry is quality control. If you\u2019re growing apples, oranges, kiwifruit, or whatever, the grower wants to be able to regulate outlier events that impact quality. For a premium fruit or vegetable, you get anywhere from three to five times more dollars per kilo than you do for second grade output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re moving from gathering and analysing data to prescribing solutions. You can take a photo of a plant and the system will give you feedback on what it needs. Then you will be able to start looking at patterns and predictions to avoid pest outbreaks for example. That will also allow us to advise growers on more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices using data and AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agritech entrepreneurs in New Zealand have to deal with what Keiller calls \u2018the tyranny of distance.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe other centres of Agritech innovation around the world including Israel, the Netherlands, Belgium and certain parts of the USA, have easy access to corporate growers, willing partners and massive markets,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve got access to more capital and so when they roll out a new piece of technology it can scale really quickly. Trying to do that from New Zealand, you\u2019re up against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge is the fact that farming and horticulture are typically conservative, risk averse industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou build something that works, that is innovative and potentially game changing and you think, \u2018Well, of course companies will want to buy it,\u2019\u201d Keiller says. \u201cBut usually they will want to trial it over an entire season which is a long time. You\u2019re talking nine months to a year before the customer feels confident in what you\u2019re selling before they\u2019re prepared to pay for it. By that stage you\u2019ve invested a lot of money in developing and building the product and you\u2019re burning cash all the time. So you\u2019ve got to be patient and be prepared for it to take longer than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WayBeyond works to create a knowledge based system for farmers.\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":55488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[11,161],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t