Walmart: Expanding AI-Driven Sourcing with Cropin

Walmart is integrating AI-driven agriculture into its supply chain through a partnership with Cropin, a company known for its agri-intelligence technology.

Cropin’s platform provides data on crop health, yield predictions and seasonal changes, allowing businesses to manage sourcing with greater precision.

For Walmart, this means better forecasting, reduced waste and a more reliable supply of fresh produce.

By using Cropin’s AI tools, the retailer is looking to mitigate risks from weather disruptions and streamline procurement operations. With more accurate data, suppliers can operate more efficiently, ensuring a consistent flow of high-quality produce to customers.

How Cropin is transforming procurement

Cropin’s platform is already in use across multiple industries, including consumer goods, food retail, finance and government sectors. The company works to address food security issues, climate-related challenges and inefficiencies in agricultural supply chains.

Its technology has digitised 30 million acres of farmland and provided benefits to more than seven million farmers globally.

A key part of Cropin’s innovation is its knowledge graph, which maps 500 crops and 10,000 varieties across 103 countries. This vast dataset feeds into Cropin Cloud, an AI-powered platform designed to support decision-making across one billion acres of cultivable land.

Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO of Cropin, welcomes the partnership: “I’m delighted to start 2025 on such a high note with this significant milestone in our journey.

“Collaborating with Walmart is both an honour and an invaluable learning for us at Cropin.”

He adds: “We are deeply excited about delivering on our commitments to help shape a new era of agri-food sourcing. As a champion and role model in the retail sector, Walmart has consistently set the bar by evolving best practices, not just for the company but for the sector as a whole.

“Our collaboration with Walmart reflects this ongoing shift and we look forward to exceeding their expectations, strengthening our position as a trusted enabler of future growth.”

AI-powered sourcing in a changing climate

Food retailers face increasing challenges from climate change, extreme weather and supply chain disruptions. The need for more resilient sourcing strategies has never been greater, and AI-powered tools provide a way to manage risks effectively.

Walmart’s collaboration with Cropin marks a shift towards data-driven supply chain management. By leveraging AI, the retailer can predict potential disruptions, optimise procurement and enhance operational efficiency.

Kyle Carlyle, Vice President of Sourcing Innovation and Surety of Supply at Walmart, highlights the role of technology in securing the supply chain: “Tech innovation is what drives real-world solutions to move forward a globally resilient supply chain.

“Collaborating with Cropin enables Walmart to further streamline sourcing practices and better predict yields using their real-time Gen-AI technology. We're always looking for new ways to innovate and Cropin demonstrates our bold innovation goals in the agriculture space.”

By using Cropin’s AI capabilities, Walmart can not only improve the stability of its food supply but also enhance cost management and supplier collaboration.

Enhancing efficiency and sustainability

Cropin’s AI-driven insights go beyond improving procurement efficiency—they also support sustainability efforts. The platform provides real-time data on crop readiness, quality forecasting and risk analysis, allowing retailers to make informed sourcing decisions.

By automating risk detection for pest outbreaks, extreme weather and supply chain bottlenecks, the technology helps prevent food waste and maintain product quality. This shift from reactive to proactive supply chain management benefits both businesses and consumers.

Cropin also supports sustainability compliance. Its impact dashboard tracks greenhouse gas emissions, water usage and deforestation risks, ensuring businesses align with environmental regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

With the adoption of AI-powered agriculture, Walmart is ensuring its fresh produce supply chain is not only more efficient but also more sustainable. By integrating Cropin’s technology, the retailer is setting a new standard for how AI can support food sourcing in a rapidly changing world.

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