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How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Installing an e-kakashi device

With an aging population of farmers and a labor shortage, among other issues, Japan is facing an agricultural crisis. Other countries are facing similar problems as well. On the other hand, the use of robotics, ICT and other advanced technologies to save labor and enable high-quality production in agriculture is garnering attention worldwide.
One such technology is the “e-kakashi*” agriculture IoT solution from SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434). It was adopted by the Smart Rice Farming Project, an international sustainability program that aims to increase rice yields with less water and fertilizer inputs while passing on cultivation know-how. On the occasion of its deployment in Colombia from November 2019, SoftBank News spoke to Takashi Togami, the e-kakashi project leader at SoftBank, about how e-kakashi is addressing agricultural issues worldwide.

  • *Kakashi means “scarecrow” in Japanese.
Smart Rice Farming Project

The Smart Rice Farming Project combines low-input rice that uses less water and fertilizer and digital manuals that compile cultivation know-how by using ICT and other new technologies. The project's purpose is to spread this newly developed rice variety and technology throughout the Latin American and Caribbean region. The project is backed by IDB Lab, the Inter-American Development Bank's innovation lab, and CIAT (the International Center for Tropical Agriculture).

e-kakashi

e-kakashi | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Provided by SoftBank Corp., e-kakashi is a science-based service that supports agriculture. e-kakashi's agricultural “brain” takes a plant-based view*1 to navigate cultivation and visualizes environmental data*2 collected in the field. e-kakashi also assists decisions on what work should be carried out in the present. e-kakashi is an IoT solution that optimizes growing environments around the clock.
See the e-kakashi website for more.

  • *1Refers to a scientific approach based on plant science
  • *2Temperature, relative humidity, ground temperature, water temperature, soil water content, EC, solar radiation quantity, CO2 density.
  • *1Refers to a scientific approach based on plant science
  • *2Temperature, relative humidity, ground temperature, water temperature, soil water content, EC, solar radiation quantity, CO2 density.

Does rice farming harm the environment?

Takashi Togami of SoftBank Corp. | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Takashi Togami of SoftBank Corp.

After graduating from Charles Sturt University, a public university in New South Wales, Australia, Togami studied for his master's degree at Japan's Mie University, where he researched agricultural ICT. For his doctorate from Mie University, Togami conducted field research on sensor networks and the utilization of their information. Togami has an extensive network of friends and contacts in the agricultural sector. Upon joining SoftBank Corp., Togami led the technical development of e-kakashi.

Tell us about the rice farming situation in Colombia.

Colombia has a population of about 50 million, and of its annual crops, rice takes up the most cultivation area. About 42kg of rice is consumed in Colombia per capita, the same level as Japan's. Due to the effects of climate change and its inefficient use of water and fertilizer, however, rice production costs are skyrocketing. As demand for rice grows, these obstacles to yield are impacting the stability of rice production.

Is there a way to overcome these obstacles?

A joint project between research institutions in Japan and Colombia called SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) started developing a new variety of rice in 2014. This rice requires less water and fertilizer. Through the Smart Rice Farming Project, we want to establish new cultivation benchmarks and technologies so this variety becomes widely adopted.

Why did you decide to support developing low-input rice?

Of all industries, agriculture uses the most water. Climate change, rapid population growth and the issue of securing water resources are all directly linked. These are common challenges for agriculture in Japan and other countries. So developing a low-input variety of rice was very purposeful.

Japan is known to have abundant water resources, though.

All around the world, including in Japan, it's essential to have technology that gives maximum yield while limiting water usage. Rice paddies are also human-made emitters of methane gas. So decreasing their environmental impact is an issue that the agriculture industry needs to address.

It's surprising to hear that agriculture negatively impacts the environment.

The purpose of the Smart Rice Farming Project is to spread a new variety of rice with scientific cultivation methods to increase yields at small farms. To establish this technology, e-kakashi collects data at fields and optimizes irrigation management. Making water management more efficient helps stem methane gas emissions, and this lessens environmental impact.

Data-driven agriculture will help create a sustainable society

What role will e-kakashi play in this project?

Installed at rice fields, e-kakashi collects a variety of crucial data. Until now, agriculture relied on the accumulated know-how and experience of farmers. However, it's important to establish farming methods that steadily increase yields, and this can be done by exhaustively converting steps in the rice growing process into data and utilizing AI predictive models to discover optimal cultivation methods. To realize sustainable agriculture techniques that can be passed on to future generations, it's essential that cultivation know-how be incorporated into digital manuals.

e-kakashi doesn't just collect data. It utilizes accumulated sophisticated data analysis know-how that makes use of deployments both in Japan and abroad. It can also offer qualified consulting. While e-kakashi devices will be set up in fields in Colombia, we'll be able to monitor them remotely and constantly share information with CIAT researchers. So we'll be able to quickly respond to any issues that come up locally.

An e-kakashi installed at a field | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem
CIAT researchers with local personnel | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Left: An e-kakashi installed at a field, Right: CIAT researchers with local personnel.

Up: An e-kakashi installed at a field, Down: CIAT researchers with local personnel.

Aiming to provide a steady supply of food

You have a doctorate in agricultural studies.

At an Australian university I majored in applied sciences, and I mainly studied environmental sciences, including ecology and living organisms. Through an internship I also studied geographical information systems, so I always had a connection to the agricultural ICT field in my studies. Since I joined SoftBank I've been involved in e-kakashi, so agriculture defines my whole career.

Participating in a workshop held in Colombia, Togami spoke about agricultural issues | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem
Participating in a workshop held in Colombia, Togami spoke about agricultural issues | How SoftBank is Using Data-driven Agriculture to Solve the Global Food Problem

Participating in a workshop held in Colombia, Togami spoke about agricultural issues

Agriculture is an industry that's essential to human survival. While a lot of technologies are being applied to agriculture to increase production and quality, I think Japan's ICT for agriculture stands out among those of other countries. By leveraging Japan's advanced agricultural IoT technology to realize precise cultivation management, we can achieve greater productivity. I'd like to see the expansion of this technology lead to a stable supply of food. My personal view is that if we keep everyone well fed, we can prevent needless conflicts.

(Original article posted on November 7, 2019)
By SoftBank News Editors