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Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), 6 May 2019
EFITA newsletter / 876 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
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Germany: May 8, 2019: 70th birthday of the constitution
Spain: December 27, 2018, 40th birthday of the constitution
On May 8, 1949, Germany’s Basic Law (Grundgesetz) was adopted, laying the fundament for its constitution – and democracy. In times of rising populism in Europe, it’s a 70th birthday worth celebrating beyond the German frontiers.
See euractiv.com
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>>> Last weekly EFITA Newsletters in English (created in 1999)
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Around 15% of subscribers have a look on these newsletters. A rather normal rate…
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Early bird registration for the 2019 International Precision Dairy Farming Conference ends May 1st!
Plan to attend this exciting learning and networking event in Rochester, MN, USA June 18-20, 2019. Early bird registration ends May 1st and online registration closes June 12.
The 2-day conference will have five plenary talks and 36 breakout talks along with two poster sessions and a small trade show. The event includes speakers not only from the USA but also from all over the world, as far as New Zealand and Australia, many from Europe, and also South America.
Plenary topics include dairy digital trends in the industry presented by international consultant Aidan Connolly, large scale robotic milking presented by Indiana dairy producer Brian Houin (36 box robots), data ownership and use of technology presented by Dutch dairy producer Ron von Burgsteden, technology and dairy cow health monitoring presented by Dave Kelton, and ag venture capital perspective presented by international technology consultant Kieran Furlong.
Most of the 20-min breakout talks on June 18 will focus on sensor technology and use of data. On June 19 there will be 9 breakout talks on robotic milking, including one about the largest robotic dairy in the world (Chile) milking 4,500 cows with 64 box robots. Other topics on June 19 include field robotics beyond dairy, practical use of inline milk data, automated calf feeding and mastitis detection. For more details check the conference website.
An optional dairy farm tour (separate registration) will follow the 2-day conference on June 20 from 8 am to 3 pm.
The planning committee thanks industry sponsors for helping make this event possible, especially Platinum sponsors Cargill, DeLaval, Lely and Zoetis and Gold sponsors Madero Dairy Systems and Nedap.
For more information contact Marcia Endres, Conference Planning Committee Chairperson.
Agriculture, nature and food: valuable and connected - The Netherlands as a leader in circular agriculture
See Dutch agriculture
‘Precision farming is key to growing better crops’
AgTech start-up Taranis grew from 4 to 80 people in just a few years. A rollercoaster for CEO and founder Ofir Schlam, who says we are still in the early days of precision agriculture.
See Future Farming
Gaining minutes during potato planting
HWodka, the innovations club of arable farmers in the southwest of the Netherlands, has set up the Gaos programme to take a closer look at routing during the potato planting process.
See Future Farming
Trimble Farmer Core to connect entire farm operation
Trimble launched Farmer Core, an entry-level Trimble Ag Software subscription that enables farmers to connect all aspects of their farm operation.
See Future Farming
Robots the main workforce on farms in the near future
In 10 to 20 years from now, robots will do all the repetitive work in the agricultural sector, says Erik Pekkeriet of Wageningen University & Research.
See Future Farming
Yara and IBM to develop digital farming platform
Yara International and IBM join forces to develop a digital farming platform, providing holistic digital services and instant agronomic advice.
See Future Farming
Old good days by Jean-François Millet: The Keeper of the Herd, 1871-74
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China AgriFood Startup Investing Report 2018
In this second edition of the China AgriFood Startup Investing Report, China-based startups innovating across the food and agriculture industry raised $5.8bn in 2018 across 283 deals with 318 investors. While a couple of outliers drove the year-over-year funding increase of 222%, there was 60% growth in the number of deals highlighting the growing activity in the industry.
See agfunder.com
Farmers turn to leasing to keep up with tech
Farmers hoping to stay up-to-date with new, practical technologies are increasingly turning away from purchasing farm machinery outright. Instead, they are opting for the cash-flow and technological flexibility afforded through leasing.
See futurefarling.com
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Agritech Startup Spotlight: Wefarm’s 1m+ African Farmer Information Network Extends to Ag Marketplace
“I think, if you look at our vision, you could say that small-scale agriculture is the biggest industry of Earth. It’s a half billion people; it’s the entire world’s supply chain; it’s the origin or commodities markets, and nobody’s really built a platform on that,” Kenny Ewan, founder, and CEO of Wefarm, tells AgFunderNews.
Wefarm is a mobile phone-based farmer network and collective for small holders farmers in Africa.
See agfundernews.com/
TERRA Growth Stage AgriFood Accelerator Opens for Applications!
TERRA, a non-equity-based accelerator program, is unique in its approach to acceleration by focusing on startups that are ready to scale their businesses, as opposed to those at the proof of concept stage refining their pitches for seed funding.
It executes this focus by partnering with established food and agriculture businesses that work with the cohort of startups to co-develop products, adapt technologies to specific parts of the industry, become customers, and discover new uses for technology.
See agfundernews.com
It’s Beef’s Turn for a Digital Renaissance, says ex-Climate Employee & Founder of Digital Tool PLA
The livestock industry is gearing up for its turn in the innovation saddle as more startups like Performance Livestock Analytics tap corporate partners like Wilbur-Ellis to pick up the pace
See agfundernews.com
Growing on Data: The New Go-to-Market Reality in Agriculture
Data is transforming the entire agriculture value chain. Growers are collecting, processing and analyzing data to maximize their yields and reduce the need for agricultural inputs and natural resources. New digital tools are enhancing transparency into how crops are grown, livestock is produced, and food is processed and distributed, satisfying consumers’ and regulators’ demand for more information about the food we eat.
But the agricultural-input suppliers that provide seeds, fertilizers, and chemical crop protection to farmers have not yet taken full advantage of data and the new digital tools to get closer to growers and boost sales. These companies have a wealth of data on the performance and value of their products, but they know little about the growers who actually use their products.
See agfundernews.com
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Sidai Is Revving Up Kenyan Farming with Fleets of Motorbikes and a Fresh Round Of Funding
Silicon Valley’s tech giants have been eagerly taking stock of the growing numbers of motorbikes speeding through the streets of Kenya. When Google launched a ‘Motorbike Mode’ on its Maps in Kenya last October, the company noted on its Africa blog how “over a million Kenyans use motorbikes as their preferred mode of transport.” Accordingly, ridesharing apps like Uber and Taxify have also both tailored their products to the Kenyan market — offering motorbike pickup options to help commuters weave through traffic or find nifty shortcuts through otherwise barely accessible backstreets.
In similar traffic-dodging fashion, motorbikers armed with smartphones are revving-up agri-tech innovation in this swiftly developing East African nation. In particular, the Kenyan startup Sidai Africa has been deploying an expanding fleet of motorbikes as a quick and easy way to dispatch specialist farming products and services to livestock farms in remote areas.
See agfundernews.com
How a Little Sensor is Making a Big Impact on the Global Cocoa Industry
Handheld near-infrared spectral imaging devices are giving cocoa farmers and processors a way to set fairer prices in a matter of seconds while also cutting out the middlemen
See agfundernews.com
Ninjacart Raises $89m from Tiger Global in India’s Largest-Ever Farm Tech Deal
Founded in 2015, Ninjacart is using technology to tackle one of the toughest agricultural supply chain problems: fresh produce delivery. The Bengaluru-based startup aims to increase farmers’ incomes, reduce food wastage, introduce competitive prices for retailers, and ensure quality food for all consumers.
Ninjacart currently operates in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Chennai with a team of 750+. It has a sourcing network of 3000+ farmers across south India and moves fresh produce from farm to over 4,000 retailers in less than 12 hours on a daily basis.
See agfundernews.com
7 Food Tech Startups Defining the Future of Food in Europe
See agfundernews.com
USDA Could Help Pave the Way for Farmtech Adoption: Where are you Sonny Perdue? By Barclay Rogers
Anyone paying passing attention to the agricultural sector understands that it is in the middle of an “agtech” revolution.
Innovations are coming fast and furious. AgFunder reported a total of $16.9 billion in agtech funding in 2018 compared to $2.36 billion in 2014 — equal to 63.5% average annual growth in agtech funding over this 5-year window. Innovations range from microbial seed treatments to on-farm robots, from reimagined agricultural marketplaces to data-driven farm management systems, from indoor farms to protein burgers.
See agfundernews.com
How a Track & Trace Tech Startup is Fighting Crop Input Fraud in Ghana
See agfundernews.com
Never mix beer and viagra!
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Contact:
Luc BECKER
E-mail: luc.becker(a)wanadoo.fr |
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An funny obituary printed in the London Times...
Today, we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- And maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death,
-by his parents, Truth and Trust,
-by his wife, Discretion,
-by his daughter, Responsibility,
-and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 5 stepchildren;
- I Know My Rights
- I Want It Now
- Someone Else Is To Blame
- I'm A Victim
- Pay me for Doing Nothing
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
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Next
Efita
Congress in Greece in 2019! |
2019 Efita International Conference 27-29 June - RHODES - Greece The topics for the EFITA 2019 conference are detailed below within topic groups. Topic group 1: “Sensors” This topic group refers to the development or optimization of sensors and electronics for agricultural applications, such as field scouting and crop parameters monitoring. Particular sub-topics could be: - New sensors (optical, reflectance, etc.) - Wireless sensor networks - Image processing Agricultural robots are also within this topic, focusing on automation and control technologies to optimise robotic applications in agriculture. Particular sub-topics could be: - Scouting Robots - Action Robots - Machine embedded ICT tools Topic group 2: “Data” This topic group is related to all technologies and software that cure data mining, data warehousing, visualisation, knowledge extraction, big data management. Particular sub-topics could be: - Big data management - Data mining for agricultural information systems - Data visualisation - Data and Knowledge Management for extension services (with real examples) Other subjects within this topic are interoperability, semantics and knowledge management, such as: - Metadata and data standards in agriculture - Thesaurus management, Knowledge management - Ontologies for agriculture - Knowledge bases and Knowledge repository services - Web of Data, Linked Open Data Topic group 3: “Decision” This topic group is about modelling for simulation, prediction, crop management, design of ICT-intensive farming systems. Proposed sub-topics are: - Modelling and Simulation for agricultural production and farming systems - Weather prediction models for sustainable agricultural production - Multi-Agent systems Other “Decision” scientific work is about remote sensing, GIS technologies and spatial management of resources. It includes sub-topics such as: - Remote Sensing and GIS applications - Planning tools - Environmental information systems and Environmental management systems - ICT applications for natural resources management, including forestry - ICT applications for sustainable biomass production and use Finally, ICT applications regarding economical, organizational and business implications in agriculture are also used for business decision making. Such ICT tools are divided in: - Decision Support Systems for Agriculture - ICT applications for food chain and logistics - Traceability tools - ICT and business - Rural economies and ICT policies for rural development Topic group 4: “Action” This topic group is mainly about design of ICT applications for agriculture and sustainability focusing on precision and knowledge intensive agriculture. It includes sub-topics such as: - Computer tools for farming - Models of farming activity - Scientific computing applied to crop management -Expert systems in agriculture This topic group is also about web technologies and networking of actors all along the value chain of agriculture. It includes sub-topics such as: - On line farm services - Web applications (clients, devices, server-side) - Cloud computing applications - Social Networking, collaborative tools and crowdsourcing - Tools for e-agribusiness See efita2019 |
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Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net
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