Walmart Cherry-Picks Agritask to Enhance Produce Sourcing
Walmart, the supermarket leader, has announced a new strategic partnership with Agritask, a crop supply intelligence company, to pilot a technology solution with Walmart Global Tech’s Sparkubate programme. The design of the which allows sourcing managers to make more well-informed decisions on seasonal fruit crop yields such as cherries and blackberries.
This first-of-its-kind Agritask initiative aims to secure surety of supply, reduce food waste, and guarantee fresher produce for shoppers. Following the results of this pilot, Walmart may consider using Agritask solutions and insights at scale for a second season.
How Agritask will help
Agritask is a crop supply intelligence company that provides visibility into the predictability and sustainability of crop supply for food and beverage enterprises.
Leveraging augmented agronomic data, AI/ML, and data analytics, Agritask equips food and beverage enterprises with invaluable insights and cutting-edge tools. Agritask helps these enterprises optimise supply operations and achieve and quantifiably measure their sustainability goals while mitigating risks across globally distributed farming ecosystems.
The pilot will use Agritask’s remote sensing and data analytics tools in a variety of regions in the US and Mexico to provide real-time, hyperlocal insights on seasonal blackberry and cherry crops from select Walmart suppliers. These were selected due to their sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and moisture levels, which can significantly affect their growth, quality, transport, and shelf life. With the real-time monitoring, the collaboration will drive rapid response to adverse environmental conditions to better manage supply and, by effect, enhance overall produce quality.
The insights on offer
The programme offers a wide range of improvements to planning accuracy, including:
- Immediate alerts on emerging or forming risks and their potential impact on target crops, such as an unexpected frost harming a cherry harvest, enable Walmart to adjust procurement strategies swiftly.
- Real-time assessment of timing, delays or advances in expected harvest, allows Walmart to proactively manage inventory levels and explore alternative sourcing options.
- Updated indications on meeting yield targets throughout the growing season, empowering Walmart to optimise supply chain logistics and ensure sufficient product availability for customers.
"Dealing with challenges in purchasing and planning accuracy in agriculture due to data discrepancies and environmental uncertainties can be tough,” adds Kyle Carlyle, vice president of sourcing innovation and surety of supply at Walmart.
“Agritask’s technology has the potential to fill vital information gaps that sourcing managers often face when predicting yield.
"Teaming up with Agritask enables Walmart to delve into more streamlined and sustainable sourcing practices, ensuring we consistently deliver fresh, high-quality products to meet customer demand."
The new pilot alongside Agritask is Walmart’s latest initiative in its long-term commitment to leveraging technology for a sustainable and resilient supply chain. With a history of tech partnerships, such as Unspun's 3D weaving technology pilot and Rubi Laboratory’s carbon capture pilot, Walmart strives to continuously innovate to bridge gaps within its global supply chain.
“Walmart’s global scale and commitment to strengthening sustainable supply chains makes them the ideal partner for Agritask’s tech solutions,” adds Ofir Ardon, CEO of Agritask.
“We are thrilled to have Walmart become the first retail partner to integrate Yield Intelligence, adopting our data-driven innovation built on 15 years of optimising agricultural supply chains to reshape how enterprises collaborate with suppliers. We are uniquely positioned to implement scalable, climate-smart and risk-ready solutions that optimise sourcing from the ground up.”
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