CropIn Launches AI-Powered Agri-Intelligence Platform 'Sage' in Collaboration with Google

Bengaluru-based Cropin launches real-time Gen AI-powered agri-intelligence platform

Bengaluru-headquartered Cropin Technology, an AI Platform for food and agriculture, has announced the launch of Sage, which the company claims is the world's first real-time agri-intelligence solution powered by Google Gemini. Cropin Sage converts the world's agricultural landscape into a proprietary grid-based map with options of 3x3 metres, 10x10 metres, or 5x5 kilometres, delivering data and intelligence. According to the company, this enables CPG players, seed manufacturers, food processors, multilateral organisations, financial institutions and governments to make informed decisions based on historical, present, and future data on cultivation practices, crop, irrigation, climate, and soil. Sage enables the Cropin Cloud platform to help agri-food businesses future-proof their production and supply chains, says the company. Fusing technologies Sage has been designed by combining technologies such as Generative AI, multi-layered global climate data, a global crop knowledge graph, earth observation data and advanced crop models. On top of analysing historical data on agriculture, crops, and weather patterns, Sage also helps to forecast future yields with the help of AI tools. This translates to pinpointing the ideal locations and favourable conditions for growing crops on a global map, helping to build a robust and resilient food system, according to a release from the company. It would provide intelligence on 13 key crops, including wheat, rice, potato, and maize, which collectively cover almost 80% of the world's food demand. Cropin plans to build and deploy Sage globally in a phased approach, aligned with enterprise customer requirements and demand. On-demand Global Agri-food Map Agriculture and food systems often lack robust digital infrastructure. Traditionally, players haven't had access to the kind of agri-intelligence needed to make informed decisions. To address the lack of visibility into the global agricultural landscape, Sage is introducing a dynamic on-demand global food and agriculture cultivation map for regions and crops of interest. Sage also allows decision-makers to ask critical questions about crop performance and lifecycle in their native language. According to the company, it delivers highly granular, regional-level insights. "By 'gridifying' land parcels with proprietary algorithms and integrating layered insights, Sage forecasts crop futures using historical data and the impacts of changing climate and weather on an unprecedented scale. This empowers informed decision-making, securing both business interests and the global food supply chain. Sage is a testament to Cropin's relentless dedication to transforming global food systems with state-of-the-art AI solutions," said Krishna Kumar, founder and CEO of Cropin. Read Comments

Cropin launches agri-intelligence platform Sage, powered by Google Gemini

Agritech firm Cropin Technology has announced the launch of Sage, the planet's first real-time agri-intelligence solution powered by Google Gemini. Cropin Sage converts the world's agricultural landscape into a proprietary grid-based map with options of 3x3 meters, 10x10 meters, or 5x5 kilometres, delivering data and intelligence with unprecedented scale, accuracy and speed, the company said in a statement. This enables consumer product goods (CPG) players, seed manufacturers, food processors, multilateral organizations, financial institutions and governments to make informed decisions based on historical, present, and future data on cultivation practices, crop, irrigation, climate, and soil. Sage enables the Cropin Cloud platform to help agri-food businesses future-proof their production and supply chains, the company said. This innovation from Cropin fuses state-of-the-art technologies such as Generative AI, multi-layered global climate data, a global crop knowledge graph, earth observation data and advanced crop models. This synergy aims to unlock the untapped potential of crop production planning, marking a significant advancement in precision and sustainable agriculture. "Cropin Sage redefines the landscape of agricultural intelligence, becoming an indispensable tool for navigating uncertainty and championing climate-smart agriculture. By 'gridifying' land parcels with proprietary algorithms and integrating layered insights, Sage forecasts crop futures using historical data and the impacts of changing climate and weather on an unprecedented scale. This empowers informed decision-making, securing both business interests and the global food supply chain. Sage is a testament to Cropin's relentless dedication to transforming global food systems with state-of-the-art AI solutions," said Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of Cropin. Beyond analysing historical data on agriculture, crops, and weather patterns, Sage leverages advanced AI tools to forecast future yields. This translates to pinpointing the ideal locations and favourable conditions for growing crops on a global map, helping to build a robust and resilient food system - a previously unimaginable feat, the company claimed. Cropin's enterprise customers can deploy Sage across geographic locations, providing intelligence on 13 key crops, including wheat, rice, potato, and maize, which collectively cover almost 80% of the world's food demand. Cropin plans to build and deploy Sage globally in a phased approach, aligned with enterprise customer requirements and demand. Unveiling the World's First On-demand Global Agri-food Map One of the biggest hurdles facing agri-food sectors today is a lack of transparent visibility into the global agricultural landscape. Sage tackles this challenge head-on by introducing a dynamic on-demand global food and agriculture cultivation map for regions and crops of interest. Each grid holds valuable information and insights to guide food production planning in the short, medium, and long term. It seamlessly navigates through a vast universe of proprietary and public datasets, linking grids and crops from around the world and integrating and analysing them to deliver comprehensive insights. By condensing months of data processing and analysis into seconds, Sage transforms complex information into actionable insights with an intuitive user interface featuring charts, data, graphs, and infographics using GenAI capabilities. Cropin Sage is a visually rich and intuitive agriculture data intelligence platform built on Google Cloud. Building and managing such a platform to support global scale is a significant challenge, given that agricultural land spans 4.8 billion hectares worldwide. This vast area is influenced by numerous factors, including weather conditions, soil quality, water availability, socio-political developments, and farmer conditions. Creating a digital twin of all these factors is incredibly complex, contributing to the slower digitization of agriculture compared to other sectors. Over the past decade, Cropin has been developing its global crop knowledge graph to handle these complex datasets effectively. Sage leverages Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) services to scale its operations in real-time as demand increases, processing massive volumes of data. On top of GKE, Cropin Sage also uses the Gemini Flash 1.5 model to convert user queries to SQL queries, which allows Sage to generate user-friendly, grid-based data in a visually appealing platform. The data is processed by Sage into different grid sizes and aggregated at different temporal frequencies, including yearly, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily, based on customer requirements. SHARE Copy linkEmailFacebookTwitterTelegramLinkedInWhatsAppRedditPublished on July 17, 2024

Google-Backed Cropin Launches Real-Time Agri-Intelligence Platform, Sage

At its core, Sage makes sense of the enormous datasets spanning over terabytes of data In 2022, Cropin launched what it claimed was the 'world's first cloud for agriculture'. Now, it is adding generative AI into the mix. The Bengaluru-based agritech firm just launched Cropin Sage, which it claims is the 'world's first real-time agri-intelligence platform'. Powered by Google Gemini, Cropin Sage enables users to make informed decisions based on historical, present, and future data on cultivation practices, crops, irrigation, climate, and soil. To provide accurate data at such a scale, Cropin has partitioned the global map into 5×5 km grids, assigning a unique ID to each. Users can query Sage regarding crop cultivation feasibility within specific grids. Sage then provides data visualisation outputs in response to these inquiries. The data is then processed by Sage, which sits inside the Cropin cloud, into different grid sizes and aggregated at different temporal frequencies, including yearly, seasonal, monthly, weekly, and daily, based on customer requirements. (Cropin Sage) Sage leverages Cropin's advanced crop models, which analyse crop performance in detail. It also leverages a smart climate model, which integrates data spanning the last 40 years and current conditions and forecasts weather for the coming year. "We integrate Gemini with our climate models, crop models, and proprietary knowledge graphs. These elements are fused together to provide comprehensive solutions," Krishna Kumar, chief executive officer at Cropin, told AIM. At its core, Sage makes sense of the enormous datasets spanning over terabytes of data. Each dataset could easily be over 100 gigabytes in size, depending on the country and the availability of historical data, besides other datasets such as temperature, climate, and even socioeconomic data. In fact, Sage uses Gemini to query these large datasets and generate responses in a consumable manner within seconds. The startup's proprietary data spans over 350 crops and 10,000 varieties in 103 countries. (Cropin Sage) Sage does not present the data in a text format but leverages a visualisation tool to transform complex datasets into intuitive graphs, charts, and interactive displays that enhance understanding and decision-making. To do so, Sage leverages the Gemini Flash 1.5 model to convert user queries to SQL queries, which allows it to generate user-friendly, grid-based data in a visually appealing platform. It also leverages Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) services to scale its operations in real-time as demand increases, processing massive volumes of data. According to Kumar, Sage will initially provide information on 13 crops expanding to 15 by the end of the year. These crops, which include corn, paddy, soy, wheat, onion, potato, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, and cotton among others, accounts for 80% of total global production. Moreover, users can seek data on these 13 crops irrespective of where they are. "They could be anywhere, any country, but if they seek data on these crops, they will get the data," Kumar emphasised. Rajesh Jalan, the CTO and head of engineering at Cropin, who was also present during the conversation with Kumar, told AIM that the model is highly accurate. Hallucinations remain a persistent issue with LLMs. In fact, upon Gemini's release, it generated controversial responses that led Google CEO Sundar Pichai to deem them 'unacceptable'. However, according to Jalan, it does not matter here because Sage provides all the data as per the query. "The customers can see all the data and if the data is wrong, the customer will be able to figure it out." So far, the company has nearly 250 B2B customers worldwide and has digitised over 30 million acres of farmlands, positively impacting over 7 million farmers worldwide. Cropin Sage will benefit CPG players, seed manufacturers, food processors, multilateral organisations, financial institutions and governments, according to Kumar. Global food systems are facing significant challenges, with many adverse factors severely impacting farmers' ability to produce enough food. This is evident with the cocoa crisis affecting chocolate makers. The prices of cocoa have risen by 400% in a year, making it difficult for many chocolate makers to afford it. "Consider an enterprise in the food and agribusiness sector with a supply chain spanning multiple countries like PepsiCo, for instance. Due to an unstable supply chain caused by changing climate changes, if they want to expand the production of potatoes to a new country, they can leverage Sage to predict suitable locations for sourcing and investments," Kumar said. Sage can also benefit multiple governments, especially in countries which lack good agricultural data. "For instance, we're collaborating with the Kenyan government on corn production challenges, analysing grid-level data to understand climate impacts and crop trends, addressing food security concerns comprehensively," he added. Earlier this year, Cropin announced the launch of 'akṣara', the sector's first purpose-built open-source micro language model (µ-LM) for climate-smart agriculture. Built on top of Mistral's foundational models, the startup aims to make agri-knowledge accessible to everyone in the ecosystem. "We trained it with data for five countries and nine crops and now we are embedding the model with Sage," Kumar revealed. While Sage is a data-intensive platform, akṣara is a knowledge platform, and according to Jalan, they are complementary to each other. "We have complete clarity on how they can be used independently and also in combination to provide users with knowledge and data," he said. Sage is currently available in English but does a decent job when prompted in Hindi as well. The startup revealed that more languages could be added going forward. Moreover, at Google I/O, the tech giant unveiled Project Astra, a first-of-its-kind initiative to develop universal AI agents capable of perceiving, reasoning, and conversing in real-time. Project Astra is built on Gemini, and according to Kumar, the same voice capabilities would come to Sage as well. "The adoption will rely heavily on voice interaction in natural language across different regions worldwide. You simply ask a question in your preferred language. This will be really beneficial for those less adept at typing or with limited literacy in agriculture," Kumar adds. However, he also emphasises that the startup will take action when the time is right, as it depends largely on their capacity to manage this transition effectively.

CropIn Partners Google Gemini To Launch GenAI Platform For Helping Customers Manage Farms Globally

With the platform's launch, the founder anticipates increasing the customer base by 50% over the next 2-3 years and aims to double the revenue Bengaluru-based agritech startup CropIn has partnered with Google Gemini to roll out a real time GenAI-powered agri intelligence platform to help customers manage farms globally by predicting yields, disease and other key insights. "Sage provides detailed, grid-based insights into crop behavior over different timeframes. By integrating generative AI, advanced crop and climate models, and Earth observation data, Sage helps customers make informed decisions about crop suitability and yield potential," founder and CEO Krishna Kumar told Inc42. Incorporated in 2010 by Krishna Kumar and Kunal Prasad, CropIn is a SaaS-based agtech startup which helps farm-to-fork businesses digitise their operations and make informed decisions that enhance farming efficiency, productivity and sustainability. It claims to have partnered with more than 250 B2B customers, digitised 30 Mn acres of farmlands, benefitting over 7 Mn farmers worldwide. CropIn Sage claims to generate a proprietary grid-based map for agricultural data, offering unparalleled scale, accuracy and speed. This transforms the way stakeholders understand crop dynamics, climate impacts, and optimal agricultural practices, enabling informed decisions in multiple languages. By offering detailed historical performance analysis and precise regional insights, Sage eliminates uncertainty in food production planning, enhancing efficiency and sustainability in agriculture, the company said in a statement. This platform will help CPG players, seed manufacturers, food processors and governments to formulate informed decisions using historical, current and future data on crops, irrigation, climate and soil, thereby future-proofing production and supply chains. Enterprise customers can use Sage to gather intelligence across multiple geographic locations, focusing on 13 key crops such as wheat, rice, potato, and maize, which collectively account for nearly 80% of global food demand, it added. The platform aims to deploy globally in phases to meet enterprise demand. Currently B2B, CropIn's platform will soon expand to B2C. Beyond this, Sage will forecast future crop yields using advanced AI, pinpointing optimal global locations and conditions for cultivation to enhance food system resilience and sustainability. Sage utilises Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) to scale operations dynamically, handling large data volumes in real-time. Additionally, it employs the Gemini Flash 1.5 model to convert user queries into SQL queries, facilitating the generation of user-friendly, visually appealing, grid-based data across various temporal frequencies tailored to customer needs. Another user case of Sage is that it acts as a crucial defense for global food systems, providing intelligence to address crop performance issues promptly and secure supply chains for food manufacturers, particularly in challenging seasons, added Kumar. With the platform's launch, the founder anticipates increasing the customer base by 50% over the next 2-3 years and aims to double the revenue.

Cropin partners with Google's Gemini to launch agri-intelligence tool

Sage can forecast factors like crop output and weather impact for specific areas based on historical data. Founded in 2010, Cropin is an agriculture-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup leveraging AI and predictive analytics to help customers enhance farming efficiency and productivity. Cropin Technology has partnered with Google's Gemini generative artificial intelligence chatbot to launch a tool that the agritech startup said will help customers generate grid-based maps of agricultural land and gain localised insights, such as the crop output of the area. Called Sage, the agri-intelligence solution uses historical data to forecast crop futures as well as other factors like the impact of changing climate and weather, helping its users make informed decisions, Cropin founder and chief executive Krishna Kumar said. Sage divides agricultural lands into sections -- such as 3x3 meters, 10x10 meters, or 5x5 kilometres -- allowing it to collect specific data points for each grid. This helps in detailed and localised insights, enabling customers, including consumer packaged goods players, seed manufacturers, food processors, multilateral organisations, financial institutions and governments to make decisions on cultivation practices, crop selection, irrigation, climate, and soil management, thereby future-proofing production and supply chains, he said. Founded in 2010, Cropin is an agriculture-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup leveraging AI and predictive analytics to help customers enhance farming efficiency and productivity. It claims to have partnered with over 250 business-to-business customers, digitised 30 million acres of farmland, and assisted over 7 million farmers globally. According to the company, its crop knowledge graph spans 350 crops and over 10,000 varieties in 103 countries. Cropin's enterprise customers can deploy the new tool to gain intelligence on 13 key crops, including wheat, rice, potato, and maize, which collectively cover almost 80% of the world's food demand, it said. The company plans to build and deploy it globally in phases, aligning with enterprise customer requirements and demand. For Sage, Cropin uses Google Kubernetes Engine services to scale operations in real-time based on demand. It also uses the Gemini Flash 1.5 model to convert user queries to SQL (standard query language), generating grid-based data. In April, the startup introduced Aksara, an open-source micro-language model built on Mistral's 7 billion parameter foundation model for climate-smart agriculture. To date, the company has raised $68.9 million in funding, according to Tracxn. Its investors include Google, Chiratae Ventures, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Infosys cofounder S Gopalakrishnan's family office, Pratithi Investment Trust.

Google-backed AI startup Cropin wants to predict future of food

As the global population rapidly increases and concerns over food security grow, generative AI and large language models hold the promise of revolutionising contemporary agriculture in a world affected by climate change. Cropin technology integrates generative AI with four decades of climate data, environmental data, and knowledge graphs to analyse each crop on a country-specific basis. Food and agriculture AI startup Cropin Technology Solutions has unveiled a real-time intelligence solution to forecast future yields for 13 vital crops as artificial intelligence helps overcome bottlenecks in the farming industry. The Bangalore-headquartered company unveiled Sage, powered by Alphabet Inc.'s Google Gemini AI model, which converts the world's agricultural landscape into a proprietary grid-based map and then delivers precise predictive intelligence based on historical data. Decision-makers can ask questions about crop performance and life cycle in their native language and get information on productivity, climate, farm practices and soil for the 13 crops that account for 80% of global food demand. "To predict the future of a particular crop is a major leap, and we see entire industries go into turbulence on account of shortfall in say, cocoa or orange crop," said Krishna Kumar, Cropin's founder and chief executive officer. As the world's population explodes and food security concerns increase, generative AI and large language models have the potential to transform modern agriculture in a climate-impacted world. That can help a whole range of customers from consumer packaged goods makers and seed manufacturers to financial institutions and governments plan crop production and make informed decisions on cultivation. The world's agricultural land spans 4.8 billion hectares, according to Cropin. The company's technology fuses generative AI with four decades of climate data, earth data and knowledge graphs to decode each crop country-by-country and predict how a certain crop will behave this season, next year or over the next five years. "We have the technology to predict, for example, which variety of potato will yield optimally in certain grids in Idaho or in Kenya, helping a prominent chipmaker customer to plan their supply chain," Kumar said over a video call.