By Ismail Auwal
For the first time in Nigeria, marking an important milestone in the booming regenerative agriculture sector, RegenFARM has used satellite data to produce an Artificial Intelligence generated design plotting a regenerative agroforestry system.
This was disclosed in a statement by the General Manager Corporate Services, Dantata Foods and Allied Products Limited, Sunusi Bature.
Using P.A. Yeomans ‘key-point’ and ‘key-line’ principles a landscape scale design including cultivation lines on contour, multi-species tree planting, and water storage infrastructure was produced in the UK for use in Nigeria.
In 45oC heat, the design was ground truthed this week on the 450ha Bebeji Farm, in Kano, Nigeria. Bebeji is part of an 8,000ha project involving small holder farmers. The AI generated design was found to be accurate to within 0.2m, and groundwork will begin shortly to turn the design into reality.
Jason Hayward-Jones, Founder and CEO of RegenFARM Ltd said, “It works! Our technology developers started from scratch to write proprietary algorithm code that not only produced an accurate result which reflects a realistic plan for development, but also is able to develop pricing for the design and an implementation plan.
This is a significant achievement in the evolution of our unique platform, with work taking place simultaneously in Nigeria and the UK.”
Jason added; “Working in collaboration with our business partners in UK and Nigeria we are making progress to accurately measuring rather than modelling soil carbon sequestration”.
RegenFARM’s regenerative agriculture landscape design tool, a break-through in the sector, uses AI is quicker, more accurate and more cost effective than using conventional farm design resources.
On the back of this milestone technological development RegenFARM is launching an equity investment round to further develop its proprietary technology and expand its operations in the UK.
Alhaji Tajuddeen Dantata, owner of Bebeji Farm, and Chairman and CEO of Dantata Foods and Allied Products (DFAP) Ltd, recently voted Industrialist of the Year, whose company is off-taking food products from thousands of small holder farmers in Nigeria to convert their production into regenerative agriculture and make the supply chains more resilient to climate change, said, “Our joint venture with RegenFARM in Nigeria is pioneering regenerative agriculture in Nigeria, and the benefits will flow to all stakeholders involved”.
RegenFARM and DFAP recently formed a joint venture in Nigeria; Dantata RegenAg Ltd, which will take the lead in promoting regenerative agriculture design in Nigeria and the region.
RegenFARM started its business journey at the University of Exeter Science Park Setsquared Program and Environmental and Big Data Impact Lab. RegenFARM is a graduate of the inaugural Rothamsted Research Shake Climate Challenge ad AgRIA Programs.
