Autogrow is a New Zealand-based 
global technology company and a world leader in controlled environment farming. Most of the work they do is about moving farm operators from analogue to digital management of the farm. They offer products for both smaller farms, like automation systems, and for newer, larger farms they offer a crop management platform FarmRoad and yield prediction for greenhouse based tomato production. Darryn Keiller, CEO of the company (photo right), talks about how the virus is impacting the industry and how their technologies can help growers post-COVID.
Dashboard FarmRoad
COVID-19 impacts
A major impact of COVID-19 is that virtually every greenhouse producer in the world relies on immigrant labour and there have been a lot of challenges to get labour forces across the borders everywhere. “There’s been high infection rates on large commercial greenhouse producers in North America.” There’s also been a concern about the safety of the produce.
The impacts of the virus have been very different for growers around the world. “For instance, we have two similar customers producing leafy greens and herbs, one in the US and one in Australia. They both supplied their produce to restaurants and specialty supermarkets and got hit really hard with those supermarkets and restaurants having to shut down. They had to find new ways of getting their product into the market. The one in the US started supplying directly to consumer, was able to pivot quickly. And unfortunately, the one in Australia is in a very remote location and did not have that option. They’re still operating but had to let a large portion of their staff go.”
Solutions
There were a lot of challenges in food production before COVID-19, but the virus does amplify those issues. To summarize it, farms have to become more efficient. Most of the industry is still analogue, and Autogrow is creating new solutions to take growers into the digital realm. “It’s about how we apply software and data and artificial intelligence. In that regard, we’re having a lot of engagement from growers in Europe, the US, Mexico, Canada. All large enterprises looking for ways to advance the way that they operate their farms.”
Another thing that Darryn and his colleagues see it that the global crisis is invoking local business helping other local businesses. They are curious to see if those changes will stay, and expect that to become visible in the coming months or years. “And for us, it’s really about the growers who need help. Our focus is on them now. The last thirty years have been about the individual, now the situation requires us to work together and be more selfless.”
Vertical PAR
Action
The company has seen a little extra enquiry from the Middle East, but even more from India. People there are looking into hydroponics, looking to start up a hydroponic business for local productions. There is also more enquiry from South East Asia and parts of Europe. “People are taking more proactive action now, realising their own risk and wanting to do something about it.”
