Farmer Charlie, a spin-off of AB5 Consulting Ltd, is based on an affordable business model including five elements: a data analytics platform, an agribusiness ecosystem app, capable of connecting with local third-party apps; weather and in field sensors; wi-fi Internet connectivity; and power to the field and farms via solar panels, where necessary. Farmer Charlie brings information to farmers in their own fields, in an easy plug and play solution, affordable to the farmers and addressing their needs in a smart and localized way. It can be integrated with other third-party apps. Farmer Charlie is very innovative, bringing in a sustainable business model, supporting farmers in farming techniques but also caring for the environment, managing natural resources (e.g., water, pesticides, fertilisers) more effectively. People around the world helped us to conceive and achieve this solution. Farmers in Nigeria, Sicily and the UK have shared their needs and challenges with us, so that we could serve them better.
Farmer Charlie was born out of a 2018 a study led by our company for the European Space Agency (ESA), about potential applications and services of large satellite constellations. The consortium included six experts in 5G, satellite communications, emergency response, digitalization, weather, and disaster risk management. This study showed the potential for a range of applications. Working on the outcome of it to investigate the potential for a cost-effective solution, we found out that weather and field information is crucial for farmers, especially smallholders and especially when they work in isolates and remote areas with scarce or no connectivity. Our system will be also aimed at reducing post-harvest waste, which according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) amounts to 15% of the overall production. In cassava farming, for instance, research shows that post-harvest waste can range between 50% and 75%. In addition, inefficiency in the food chain (storage, transport, transformation) means that more waste happens, and farmers do not get the revenue that they would deserve.
