Exchange of knowledge in Kenya
DLV Consultancy is involved in a new project in Kenya for Egerton University called ‘Capacity building for strengthening the Livestock Value Chain’....
Read moreSatellites predict the yield
In the project ‘grass and corn in the picture’ is Harm Wientjes from DLV consultancy among others developing a service which can predict the yield of grass and corn with the help of satellites. DLV consultancy, eLeaf and NEO gather their knowledge to support farmers in their daily management of grass and corn. Their goal is to get more profit out of their investments. NEO and eLeaf have the data and the knowledge about the algorithms of the satellite data. The satellites show information about yield, vegetation stress, precipitation and wind. In combination with this information, DLV Consultancy can give advice about cultivation interventions which could result in a higher yield.
Dutch market is suitable
The project is in de first phase at the moment. After this phase it should be clear which steps are necessary to make it a usable tool. The service has the opportunity to increase the yield with 20% on 62% of the Dutch arable land (this is approximately 1,24 million hectares). Harm Wientjes and his colleagues argue that the Dutch market is very suitable due to the high prices for land and the demand for a maximum yield. This results in a sustainable cultivation system in grass and corn which takes into account the yield of a pasture and the optimum use of minerals. The soil quality will be held on a level or will be brought to a specific level to get a tenable crop. This way the yield will be optimized, minerals are used efficient and the use of pesticides will decrease because they have an overview of the shortage and surpluses.
Eventually useful worldwide
Phase one is complete when it is clear which steps need to be taken to integrate different maps for the right results. The next step is to design the service in such a way that it is useful worldwide. At the end the service can, besides optimizing the yield, also provide information for governments, insurance companies, traders, speculators, etc. For instance, the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) can monitor how the food provisions develops. Resulting in less fluctuations in food prices.
Would you like to know more about this project? Please contact Harm Wientjes, project manager, via h.wientjes@dlvconsultancy.com or +31 6 20 39 82 71