SGS : Precision Gateway Initiates Farming Collaboration

With financial, regulatory and climatic restrictions affecting the input of fertilizers, pesticides and water, precision farming techniques are the way to optimize profitability. SGS's experts in South Africa have recently expanded their use of proprietary precision farming technology to help an orchard owner in Peru.

Precision farming services are now established in many countries around the world, with SGS acknowledged as the market leader in important agricultural areas, such as Peru, Brazil and South Africa. With the development of Precision Gateway, we have created a proprietary agricultural farm management platform that utilizes a broad range of data to help the grower enhance his farming techniques.

Our Precision Gateway looks at range of data, including:

• Field fertility based on laboratory testing
• Digital data, for example soil moisture content
• Information from weather stations
• Information from drone cameras and/or Satellite imagery

This creates a real-time picture of what is happening on the farm, and in each field. The farmer can then use this data to spray pesticides, fertilize and irrigate with pinpoint accuracy - helping to minimize the expenditure on inputs, whilst gaining the maximum advantage from their use.

SGS Precision Gateway is already used to support nearly 200,000 hectares of farmland in South Africa, with more than one million hectares mapped throughout Africa. The key to success is the real-time assessment of all field data, accurately interpreted by leading experts in the field of agronomy. We include crop consultation as part of our service, allowing farmers to effectively address any issue observed in the field. Growers send photographs of any potential field-based problem to our crop consultants, who will assess all relevant data and, by using current and historical data on Precision Gateway, will build a complete picture of the problem, before offering expert advice.

In addition to the production calendar, Precision Gateway can also helps farmers predict yields and monitor market prices, giving them a wealth of information that will help them make the right decisions when it comes to creating higher profitability from less inputs.

SGS Uses Precision Gateway in Peru

In South Africa we have expanded our use of the Precision Gateway platform to help an orchard owner in Peru. Because Precision Gateway is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week service, its imagery experts in South Africa could provide an overnight service for the farmer.
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images of the farmer's avocado orchards were sent during the evening to our experts in South Africa, where they were considered in conjunction with satellite images. Because of the time difference, the return data was ready for the Peruvian farmer when they started their work day, meaning they could effectively and efficiently treat their orchards in real-time.

We have created a center of excellence for data management and processing in South Africa, helping support precision farming around the world. Because our proprietary Precision Gateway platform and precision farming services create uniform reports, farmers and interested industry specialists can accurately use this data to compare and share information across geographical zones and different crop markets.

SGS Precision Farm Services

We offer a wide range of precision farming services based on data gathering, evaluation and recommendations, all using our transparent digital platform. Working with SGS gives customers the knowledge they need to precisely manage their fields, minimizing costly inputs, whilst maximizing profitability. Through our global network of agricultural experts, we have established the analytical capabilities needed to support the analysis of the nutrients in soil, water and crops, and nutritional up-take curves have been established for different crop types and varieties. This help to support farmers with the correct fertigation program.

For further information, please contact:

Cobus Burger
Business Manager, South Africa
t: +271 8285 0200

Jorge Bazo
Global Business Development - Fertigation/Water Management Service
t: +511 5171900

About SGS

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 90,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,000 offices and laboratories around the world.