.LONDON, September 10, 2024 – Diageo Sustainable Solutions (DSS), Diageo’s innovation accelerator, has announced three new partnerships with AquaSpy, Clean Crop Technologies, and Smart Cloud Farming. These collaborations aim to address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those caused by climate change. Through DSS, Diageo will invest up to £450,000 to trial and develop cutting-edge technology. This investment to help farmers adapt to unpredictable weather and water crises.
Unpredictable climate conditions, including droughts and floods, continue to disrupt agriculture in East Africa. Smallholder farmers, especially in Kenya and Uganda, struggle to access crucial soil and crop insights needed to make informed farming decisions. Diageo Sustainable Solutions launched a competition to find technological innovators that could provide better agricultural monitoring systems to improve resilience.
The three chosen partners offer pioneering solutions that align with Diageo’s pilot proposals. And focus on improving productivity while ensuring sustainability:
- AquaSpy provides a cloud-based IoT platform for tracking crop roots and soil conditions, empowering farmers to manage resources more effectively.
- Clean Crop Technologies offers a proprietary seed treatment technology that accelerates germination and enhances crop resilience against harsh climate conditions.
- Smart Cloud Farming delivers precision soil maps to forecast crop yields, helping farmers make data-driven decisions for more productive outcomes.
John Cant, Head of Diageo Sustainable Solutions, highlighted the significance of these partnerships. “Smallholder farmers in Africa face increasing challenges from climate change. By working with AquaSpy, Clean Crop Technologies, and Smart Cloud Farming; we aim to help farmers maximize yields and reduce uncertainty. It is for benefiting both them and our supply chain,” Cant said.
The pilot projects will begin in Kenya and Uganda. If successful, Diageo plans to scale these technologies across its supply chain. Diageo Sustainable Solutions continues to explore innovative ways to build long-term resilience and sustainable practices within the agricultural sector.
This initiative is part of a broader commitment by Diageo Sustainable Solutions to invest in future technologies that not only minimize the company’s environmental impact but also drive sustainable growth for its brands.
