6th Grain is growing the future through accessible digital technology
Molly Brown
CSO
"Although raw weather and satellite data are often free of charge, to make them useful for institutions or individuals working in farming, the data need to be transformed into locally relevant, crop specific, and timely information which can guide decision making."
To guide governments in assessing food security, 6th Grain supports African governments through ML and AI to identify the boundaries of agricultural fields, total area cropped in key crops, and crop yield. Empowering decision makers with timely information will ensure rapid and effective response when too much or too little food is produced.
Molly, can you tell us about your mission?
6th Grain’s mission is to develop information data systems and online solutions that integrate weather, soil, remote sensing and farmer-provided information for better farm management decision making. We work with large agricultural companies, individual agronomists, small-scale producers and governments to support agriculture across Africa, Europe, Central Asia and South America.
What made you want to take on this mission?
As one of the least digitized sectors of the economy, there is substantial potential to improve profitability of farmers, input providers and governments if they take advantage of modern digital tools. As a former NASA civil servant, I was always frustrated by the lack of uptake of the wealth of Earth observation information that the organization spent decades producing. This data could be used to improve decision making across the agriculture value chain.
Working with 6th Grain has allowed me to engage with a wide variety of organizations, farmers and agronomists to learn what the barriers are to using satellite remote sensing. Challenges in using geospatial data include low resolution of imagery, the timing of observations while crops are rapidly growing, and clouds that obscure fields and other areas of interest.
With our strong science team and their experience with NASA coupled with an experienced software development team, 6th Grain has developed a suite of tools that use geospatial information to support decision making across agriculture and development activities. We have attracted an increasingly broad set of users who leverage our systems to improve their work.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR CHALLENGES AND HOW YOU APPROACH THEM?
A major challenge that we have faced is the difficulty of changing internal processes and decision making across the institutions we work in. Even if information derived from digital tools is perfect, the user of the data needs to trust the information and its source and receive it at the right time and in a way which makes sense to them. The salience, relevance and legitimacy of data produced from remote sensing and weather data must be earned through engagement and co-development.
Although raw weather and satellite data are often free of charge, to make them useful for institutions or individuals working in farming, the data need to be transformed into locally relevant, crop specific, and timely information which can guide decision making. Doing this requires investment not only in understanding the local agricultural system, but also in helping the ultimate user of the information understand the process and trust the system enough to use it. This requires a focus on relationship building and flexibility in how data are presented.
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE?
6th Grain is very proud of the support it has been able to provide to governments across Africa and Central Asia, and are growing our suite of tools to incorporate new hazards and approaches. We are using hydrological models to support irrigation of horticultural crops in Mauritania, driving yield models for monitoring maize production across southern Africa, and creating new ways to ensure coffee and cocoa production can be continued without further deforestation. Our team of scientists are always looking for new ways to engage with farmers, agronomists and institutions to provide critical data to improve productivity while reducing impact.
WHAT ROLE CAN AI PLAY TO ACCELERATE IMPACT?
6th Grain uses AI to identify boundaries of fields across a hugely diverse set of farming systems. We combine these boundaries with annual cropped area maps and yield models to estimate total production for major food crops. This information is available before harvest to ensure strategic engagement with trading partners. In the coming year, we will work with agricultural institutions in Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Kenya, France and the United States to use satellite remote sensing to support farmers, businesses that work with them and agronomists.
Thank you to Molly and 6th Grain for sharing with us their incredible vision and their experiences participating in the Startups for Sustainable Development program.
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"6th Grain has developed a suite of tools that use geospatial information to support decision making across agriculture and development activities."
