Description
Farm21 is a precision farming platform combining low‑cost, in‑field sensors, satellite imagery, weather data and scouting inputs to deliver actionable, farm‑level insights. The solution addresses key agricultural challenges of inefficient irrigation and input application through real‑time monitoring and alerts for soil moisture, temperature, and crop conditions.
Technology
The technology is centered on their infield sensor units, which incorporates three soil‑moisture probes (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–30 cm), two soil‑temperature sensors at –10 cm and –20 cm, and on‑board air temperature and humidity sensing. Sensor data are transmitted via a cellular connection to a cloud platform, where integration with high‑resolution satellite data, local weather feeds and farmer scouting inputs enables the generation of irrigation and crop‑management alerts and dashboard visualizations. Users can receive alerts, view graphs/widgets, share data with others (free sharing), export data (Excel), and integrate via REST API with other systems. Users can also record observations (“scouting reports”), risks, disease, growth cycles, weed pressure. These feed into the platform to give current field status.
Target
This solution targets a diverse spectrum of end‑users in the agriculture value chain, including smallholder farmers, medium‑ and large‑scale farms, agricultural cooperatives, farm advisors and researchers. As of 2024, the platform supports over 3250 users and has deployed more than 5500 sensors across 23 countries, demonstrating applicability across diverse farm sizes, geographies, and rural development contexts.
Business model
This initiative operates on a freemium and subscription business model, where a basic service tier is offered for free and advanced functionality is available via paid subscription or fee‑for‑service. The hardware is purchased through a one‑time payment (around EUR 320), with additional optional services—such as high‑resolution satellite imagery—available as paid add‑ons.
Impact
The overall aim of the initiative is to enhance agricultural productivity and resource efficiency while strengthening resilience in the face of climate variability. The platform supports water conservation and improved input use through timely, data‑driven irrigation and crop management decisions.
Partners
FarmPlus; EIT Food
Four Betters
Better environment
Better production
