Farmers have to address multiple challenges at the same time. From increasing their yields to address the global population expansion, to ensuring at the same time the sustainable management and conversion of natural resources by using less inputs. The way to achieve those objectives, is through new technologies, which are usually costly and of high risk.
Earth Observation (EO) can address these needs by providing information on a wide range of crop and field related variables, such as soil moisture, surface temperature or photosynthetic activity. This information can support decision-making on a site-specific basis, allowing for more efficient utilisation of resources. The benefits of using EO information in the Agricultural sector stem from cost reductions, profitability and potential competitive advantages.
APOLLO provides small farmers with an affordable and easy to use suite of farm management tools based on EO data, and enables them to take better-informed decisions over their practices, in order to achieve maximum production with minimum inputs and as a result maximum profitability for them.
The services offered via the APOLLO platform are: i) Tillage Scheduling, which identifies the suitability of the field for tillage operations, minimizing fuel use and damage to soil structure; ii) Irrigation Scheduling, which identifies when and where irrigation is needed, avoiding yield loss and saving on costs; iii) Crop Growth Monitoring, which remotely scouts the fields and depicts their progress, helping thus in targeted field visits, saving time; iv) Crop Yield Estimation, which supports proper planning of post-harvest logistics ahead, ensuring sufficient capacity; v) Weather forecasting, which is highly localised helping thus farmers to plan their activities accordingly; and finally vii) Zone Management, which optimises the input use within a field, saving on input costs.
