Telkom, in collaboration with agricultural industry stakeholders, has launched the Smart Agritech initiative.
It aims to unite academia, industry and the private sector to rapidly develop, test and commercialise innovative solutions to improve efficiency and sustainable practices in the agricultural sector.
According to a statement, the project exemplifies the potential of collaboration and innovation to address real-world challenges and create lasting impact in SA’s agricultural landscape, with a strong focus on the wine industry.
The Smart Agritech initiative, which includes Stellenbosch University, Wine South Africa, and artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud service provider Aizatron, among others, aims to help enhance the productivity of SA’s agricultural sector, while offering a global model for tech-driven farming practices.
Alongside the launch of the Smart Agritech initiative at the Lanzerac Wine Estate in Stellenbosch this week, it introduced a data-driven platform, which integrates Telkom’s 5G connectivity, Aizatron’s expertise in AI and the internet of things (IOT), Stellenbosch University’s advanced agricultural research, and South Africa Wine’s expert industry knowledge.
By harnessing 5G connectivity, AI and IOT, the platform seeks to empower farmers to make data-driven decisions that enhance productivity, while conserving vital resources.
Ansu Sooful, Aizatron CEO, explains: “At the core of the Smart Agritech Sandbox, our platform accelerates AI and digital solution deployment with speed and efficiency.
“The Smart Agritech initiative is more than infrastructure − it’s an ecosystem that unites academia, industry and the private sector to rapidly develop, test and commercialise innovative solutions at lower costs through its modular building blocks and open standards support.”
Key objectives of the smart platform include real-time monitoring of vineyard health and resource usage, improved farming efficiency and sustainable practices, and data-driven insights for optimising crop production and resource management.
Albert Strever, lecturer of agriculture innovation at Stellenbosch University, notes: “This platform is set to advance innovation by providing a sandbox environment to enhance data integration from different sources and stakeholders.
“Our flagship vineyard research projects at Welgevallen, supported by South Africa Wine and the Water Research Commission, provide the ideal testing and ground-trothing environment, and we believe the initiative will enhance our already strong focus on emerging and novel technologies in these projects.”
Lunga Siyo, CEO of Telkom Consumer and Small Business, adds: “Telkom has always been a pioneer in leveraging technology to drive innovation. With the Smart Agritech initiative, we are taking a bold step in transforming agriculture and showcasing how technology can unlock endless possibilities.”
Share