Agforest, a leading Spanish startup in the application of geospatial information technology for sustainability, has collaborated with Treemond, a company dedicated to the development of agribusiness projects in the nut sector in Spain and Portugal. The goal was to optimize agricultural productivity by combining geospatial data and artificial intelligence.
As part of its strategy to develop large-scale nut production projects, Treemond set out to analyze the real potential of its almond crops in order to increase the productivity and profitability of its operations.
This case study shows how agforest helped Treemond address its main challenges through three basic elements: increasing detailed knowledge about its almond plantations, addressing variability in tree productivity, and finding ways to maximize productivity in areas with low-yielding trees.
Treemond’s challenges in almond plantations
Prior to partnering with agforest, Treemond faced some challenges with a potential negative impact on its operations:
- Variability in tree productivity, influenced by factors such as tree health and crown size.
- The need to detect and occupy empty spaces in the plots to optimize production.
The agforest solution: segmentation and analysis
agforest divided the Treemond almond plantation, which covers 90 hectares, into eight smaller subplots. This allowed agforest to analyze the plantation in detail in order to expand knowledge on key factors:
- Canopy size estimation: using remote sensing technology, agforest provided a detailed estimate of tree canopy size in Treemond crops.
- Segmentation and mapping of productivity levels: creation of a map of results representing different levels of productivity in the farms, segmenting the areas according to tree crown sizes.
- Detailed statistical analysis: detailed study of total areas, identified plants, missing plants and trees less than 2 square meters in order to better understand the situation of each farm.
The result: more productive almond crops.
In collaboration with agforest, the agricultural company has implemented some improvements:
- Sampling optimization: instead of taking random samples, Treemond has focused on the different segmented areas of differential production, saving time and resources.
- More accurate estimates: using accurate data on canopy sizes and productivity provided by agforest, Treemond has been able to make more accurate and reliable production estimates.
- Maximizing production: By identifying and addressing areas with under-productive trees, Treemond has maximized production in its almond orchards.
Ultimately, the collaboration with agforest has had a significant impact on Treemond’s operational efficiency and agricultural productivity. Thanks to optimized sampling and accurate estimates based on data provided by agforest, Treemond has been able to maximize production in its almond orchards. This case exemplifies how geospatial technology can benefit the agricultural sector, which represents 2.3% of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
