BASF Digital Farming to launch AI-based digital crop optimization platform with Zen-noh in Japan

- xarvio^® FIELD MANAGER will support farmers to make better informed field management decisions in rice and soybeans

- Both parties invest several millions of euros in total

BASF Digital Farming GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, has agreed with Zen-noh to start a new collaboration for xarvio^® FIELD MANAGER, an AI-based digital crop optimization platform, to be launched in Japan in April 2021. xarvio FIELD MANAGER offers field- and field-zone-specific real-time information and recommendations, which will support farmers to make better-informed field management decisions. Farmers will see a simulation of growth stages of crops and risk of diseases and weeds that are derived from robust data backbones such as weather data and satellite data and get notifications about “recommended tasks”. The AI-based digital platform will be available on PCs, tablets, and smartphones. 

xarvio^® FIELD MANAGER will enable Japanese farmers to plan and work more efficiently.

In the agricultural industry in Japan, the merger of farmland has been ongoing, while each field remains small and dispersed. Therefore, a farmer needs to manage several fields dispersed in a larger area, which is one of the factors that impact the efficiency of agricultural production. “With the collaboration of BASF Digital Farming and Zen-noh the xarvio FIELD MANAGER will help farmers determine what kind of work and when is needed for each field across the farm, enabling farmers to plan and work more efficiently,” said Andree-Georg Girg, Managing Director and Head of Global Commercialization at BASF Digital Farming.  

A variety of crop models are available in xarvio global solution. For Japan, in the first phase rice and soybeans are planned to be adapted to Japanese conditions and launched 2021. Demo trials are undertaken throughout 2020 in Japan. The system will be linked to the Z-GIS, GPS map information system developed and operated by Zen-noh, to enhance user's data management functions. In addition, machine data link with drones, tractors, and combines with GPS navigation, and sensors. Further development and expansion of target crops as well as functionalities enhancement with xarvio SCOUTING, which is already available to the public, are planned, aiming to offer a holistic and reliable platform of smart farming for farmers in Japan. 

About xarvio Digital Farming Solutions; a brand by BASF Digital Farming GmbH

xarvio is at the forefront of the digital transformation of agriculture optimizing crop production. xarvio offers digital products, based on a global leading crop model platform, which deliver independent field-zone-specific agronomic advice enabling farmers to produce their crops most efficiently and sustainable. The xarvio products SCOUTING, FIELD MANAGER and HEALTHY FIELDS are being used by farmers in more than 100 countries worldwide. The xarvio FIELD MANAGER is used by 36.000 farmers (total area of more than 3 million ha) in 15 countries, and xarvio SCOUNTING is used by over 2.4 million farmers in 120 countries.