Description
Cropwise is a platform that integrates multiple interoperable services and solutions for planting, pest and nutrient management, insurance, and farm operations. Among the services is “Commodity Pro”, a service to buy crop protection and seed products protecting the farmers from the volatility of the market. Commodities can be bought in advance and if the price decreases over time the company provides up to 15 percent to 20 percent cash back. Another service “Imagery” utilizes satellite data, offers a bird's eye view, facilitating crop health monitoring. “Operations” is a monitoring solution providing information to identify areas with problems and recommending use of resources. It includes satellite images of fields, image history dating back to 2013, automatic alerts if the vegetation index goes down, NDVI images also in cloudy weather. It can be used to plan operations, record filed activities from seeding to harvesting, automatically record connected machine tasks, monitor operations in real-time. “Planting” is a solution leveraging satellite images, yield maps and manually draw or edit zones to optimize the use of seeds and fertilisers with variable rate technology, create variable rate scripts for seeds and fertilisers, download and use script in the machinery. “Protector” integrates digital monitoring for pests, diseases, and crop health. It tracks farm activities such as applications, quality and productivity indicators, free notes, infestation levels, audio and/or photos of the crops. “Seed Selector” service supports decision making providing seed recommendations for maximum yields. “Spray Assist” provides recommendations on the best time to go spraying and how to optimise the equipment set up, based on weather risks in the region. “Sustainability”, aligned with Gold FSA standards, is a tool to calculate farm-level sustainability score and, by enabling sharing results and insights, to assess operation's leadership/management compared to other farmers.
Technology
Cropwise is available via mobile or web applications. The mobile application can be downloaded via Google Play or Apple Store. The application is linked with a number of sensors and cloud infrastructure. It enhances service accessibility for farmers by delivering data and reports through both a web based and mobile app. Detailed crop monitoring is achieved through remote sensing, utilizing high-resolution satellite images. Geolocation of information is ensured using GPS.
Target
Cropwise has over 40 000 users worldwide as per the information provided on the website (January 2024). The main users are likely to include smallholder farmers, medium-size farms, and large-size farms. The modular design and features of Cropwise, such as Commodity Pro, Planting, Sustainability and Seed Selector, indicate its applicability across different scales of agriculture.
Business model
The business model and prices are different for each service. As an example, for Planting and Commodity Pro tools, clients are expected to contact the company to obtain information while Cropwise Operations mobile app is free to download but it is available for Cropwise Operations users only; therefore, a subscription plan is most likely required. In certain locations, Cropwise Operations is opeated by local retailers, e.g. SCARB-BIO in Belarus (https://skarb-bio.by/cropwise-operations/).
Impact
Cropwise aims to foster increased yields through precision agriculture, leveraging modules like Seed Selector and Planting. Commodity Pro aims to mitigate financial risks, providing cashback during price volatility. The Sustainability module is designed to promote and measure sustainable farming practices, contributing to environmentally conscious agriculture. Spray Assist aims to optimize crop protection, minimizing environmental impact. Imagery is intended to empower farmers with efficient crop monitoring, leading to timely interventions. Protector's digital monitoring aims to aid in proactive pest and disease management. Operations are intended to streamline farm management, reducing operational costs. Collectively, Cropwise tries to promote economic resilience, sustainable practices, and increased productivity in modern agriculture. The digital platform can support multiple crops, farm sizes, and operations, covering 230 million acres and serving 40 000 users.
Partners
Potato Sustainability Alliance (PSA)
Four Betters
Better production
