IBM, Yara Launch Data Platform for Sustainable Food Production

By Maitane Sardon

Information-technology company International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and Norwegian chemical company Yara International ASA (YAR.OS) have launched a platform for farm-and-field data exchange in an effort to improve the efficiency, transparency and sustainability of food production, a significant driver of climate change.

The companies said Friday that the Open Farm & Field Data Exchange platform will gather farm and field data and make it more accessible for those playing a role in meeting growing global food demand, including farmer associations, industry players, academia and nonprofits from the food-and-agriculture industry.

They said sharing data will help farmers receive higher value services and be paid in return for disclosing their data. It will also make it easier for them to track and report information based on local regulations.

"We believe the agriculture industry needs to invest in exponential technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and big data to help address climate change and population growth as it threatens the world's ability to produce enough food," said Mark Foster, senior vice president at IBM services and global business services.

Write to Maitane Sardon at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 23, 2020 07:50 ET (12:50 GMT)

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