IoT in Agriculture: Ag + TechJulie MorrisWorld Food Center @ UC Davis

AGRICULTURE + TECHNOLOGY

UC Davis: A Leading Agricultural University

• 1st in the nation and 2nd in the world in agriculture (QS World University Rankings; U.S.

News & World Report)

• 1st in the world in plant and animal programs (U.S. News & World Report)

• 1st in the world in veterinary medicine (QS World University Rankings)

• 1st in the world in sustainability (GreenMetric World University Ranking)

• 6th best public university in the nation (Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education)

California Produces Half Fruit & Veg in U.S.

• Cash receipts totaled US$47 billion in 2015

• Exports totaled US$21 billion in 2015

• Over 400 commodities

• Top producer is dairy industry followed by almonds and grapes together accounting for more than US$16.5B

What Exactly is “Agriculture”?

Feeding a Rapidly Growing Planet

Shifting Diets

What other issues are at play?

• Climate change (droughts, floods)

• Drive to sustainability

• Regulatory environment

• Pressure on freshwater resources

• Food security/food quality

• Labor shortages

How do we address these challenges?

Higher Yields Reduce Waste IncreasedCropping

Reduce Impact

Solving the World’s Agricultural Production

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF

TECHNOLOGY?

And is there a role for your organization?

Agriculture: Domestication of Plants and Animals Started About 10,000 Years Ago

Ag Tech Evolution: 1800s Grain Elevator & Reaper

Ag Tech Evolution: "Waterloo Boy" 1914

Ag Tech Evolution: Late 1990s and Early 2000s GPS/GIS & Aerial Imaging Gain Traction

Will IoT be the Agriculture 3.0?

• Sensors

• Drones

• Satellite

• Phones/Tablets/Computers

• Smart farm equipment

• Animal monitors

• Cloud computing

• Wireless communications

What are the drivers of technology adoption?

• Low cost and pervasive connectivity

• Adaptable, robust for extreme climates

• Advantages in data storage and exchange

• Devices with ultra low energy consumption

• Innovative business models and partnerships

IoT Device Adoption Growing 20% Annually

Smart Agriculture Market 2022E: US $18.5B

Data Generated at an Accelerating Pace

Demonstrated ROI is Critical to Farmers

“Many systems can detect the smallest details about a

plant’s growth. But a huge amount of data is just data until you can actually deliver an insight from it”

- Laura Lee, Lux Research, Inc.

“I’m tired of paying for technology that doesn’t pay me

back”- North Dakota Farmer

Silicon Valley Central Valley

• Wireless field & remote sensing

• Data analytics

• Control systems

• Integrated decision support tools

Fields are not Uniform

Modeling Complexity: inputs -> yield

Precision irrigation & nutrient management

The exact amount of water & fertilizer for each plant

Efficient Water Use

Irrigation Node in Vineyards

Allows Individual microsprinkler

control

Wireless Mesh Network

- Delwiche & Coates

Plant Water Status Network in Grapes

Real-Time Leaf Temperature Monitor in AlmondsPAR/Light

sensor

Air Temperature and RH sensor

(Bottom side)

Diffuser Dome

Wind barrier

Wind sensor

Leaf holder

Infrared thermometer

Animals Too!

Smart Collar

Smart Sensor

From Research to Commercial Solutions

Tule Technologies Solution

Who is working in this market?

• Large agricultural companies

• Startups

• Domestic & global communications

• HW/SW

• Logistics

• Anyone & everyone

What do the Venture Investors Think?

40%

22%

11%

8%

6%

4%

3%3%

3%

Food Marketplace/Ecommerce

Ag Biotechnology

Farm Mgmt, Sensing & IoT

Novel Farming Systems

Supply Chain Technologies

Bioenergy & Biomaterials

Innovative Food

Robotics, Mechanization & Other Farm Eq

Other

Source: AgFunder 2016 AgTech Investment report

2016 Global AgTechInvestment by Category(US$3.23 billion)

What’s holding back investment?

• Disconnect in the amount of investment into agtech vs. other sectors like healthcare

• Solutions looking for problems; ROI unclear

• Timeline expectations of investors (adoption rates, crop cycles, regulation)

• Education process for investors

• Few successful exits

• Marathon, not a sprint

Attributes of Winning IoT Solutions

• Understand the full value chain from farm to fork

• Reduce costs/inputs (water, energy, labor, inputs)

• Increase yields

• Improve efficiencies

• Deliver measurable benefits

• More than a point solution

• Address security and privacy concerns

Farmers are Sophisticated Business Owners

• Farming is relationship driven

• Farmers will experiment

• Farmers want to see support for technology claims

• Focus needs to be on true needs, not data overload

Thank You! Merci! Questions?