A local college is challenging businesses within Worcestershire to discover how to use the latest technology from space to solve problems in agriculture.
It is all a part of the GrowAgri project, run by Pershore College, which is tasked with supporting the growth of agri-tech within the county.
The process will begin with a two-day seminar on 25-26 March to explore how the use of data obtained from satellites has the potential to revolutionise the way farmers grow our food by making production more efficient.
The event is being delivered by leading Worcestershire-based software solutions company Borwell, who will look at how this data can be analysed and presented using geographic information systems, that can improve the software tools available within the farming sector.
Satellites and drones provide farmers with real-time images of individual plants and information from these images can be processed and integrated with sensors and other data to provide guidance for immediate and future decisions, such as precisely which fields to water and when to plant a crop.
Unlike previous agriculture revolutions, which have focused on further intensification and standardisation, this offers a new set of tools. It is not about drastically increasing yields, but tailoring the cultivation of each square foot: adopting a ‘per plant’ ‘per animal’ approach.
Business Development Manager, GrowAgri Project, Denis Harrison, said: “We are delighted that Borwell have agreed to apply their in-depth technical knowledge to this workshop. They have an enviable reputation within their industry and specific insights into the ever expanding use of big-data and visualisation in the horticultural sector.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to bring together IT and horticulture at Pershore College. It will allow individuals and companies to look at current market applications and solutions to underpin future development projects. Equally, these techniques cut across multiple industries who may find that they use comparable tools that with further innovation, can be useful in a rural context.”
Systems architect for Borwell, Marcus Ambler said: “The potential of using data and digital technology to revolutionise the way we grow our food is immense. This seminar is a ‘must attend’ if you work in the digital technology sector and want to know how to better exploit space, cyber and geographic information system data in support of Worcestershire’s growing agri-tech sector.”
To book on either event or for more information go to wcg.ac.uk/growagri or call the GrowAgri project team on 0300 135 7179.