Using Data to Contribute to Food Security

The article lists different technologies that Monsanto is using to “unlock digital yield”. According to Swanson, the CIO of Monsanto, farmers will need to double their current level of production to meet the demand for food in 2050. He believes that information technology is the key to helping farmers achieve this.

Technologies outlined in the article

The internet of things

Internet of Things: a proposed development of the internet that connects many everyday activities to the network, so that all devices can transmit and receive data.

Examples of IoT include connecting your thermostat to the lock on your door, so that the thermostat will know when you leave the house and turn down the temperature, and adding sensors to livestock so that you can track where your animals are and what their vital signs are.

FieldDrive

Developed by the IT team at Monsanto, the FieldDrive program tracks soil quality, yield, and combine routes via sensors placed on combines. The data is transmitted over satellite to Monsanto, who gives farmers access to this data. Over 100 million metrics have been collected. The additional data has been impactful for farmers trying to improve yield.

Cargo View

When it comes to innovation, the CIO of Monsanto is very open to embracing insights from outside of the company. Monsanto is partnering up with AT&T to use their Cargo View service, which tracks the location, temperature, pressure, light, and vibrations of a shipment (AT&T, 2015; Heller, 2015). Real time data is provided on a cloud based platform (AT&T, 2015).

This is a very valuable addition to Monsanto’s operations. Having access to real-time information allows the members of Monsanto’s supply chain to optimize the process of transporting and manufacturing its products. For example, transporters of harvested grain can determine the best possible route available, depending on weather and traffic conditions to minimize loss and spoilage.

The Climate Corporation

Monsanto recently acquired The Climate Corporation, a company that monitors climate and provides weather insurance to farmers (Heller, 2015). The Climate Corporation has over 50 terabytes of weather and soil data collected (Upbin, 2013). Monsanto will be able to use Climate’s extensive information on climate conditions to develop better varieties of seeds.

This acquisition is not only beneficial to the development aspect of Monsanto’s business. Purchasing the Climate Corporation’s insurance policy gives the farmer access to nitrogen and ‘crop health’ trackers, which are accessible via personal computers and tablets (The Climate Corporation, 2015).  As such, Monsanto can increase the sales of support services with the sale of their seeds.