Powering Farmers at Scale with AI-Driven Precision Irrigation: Why We’re Excited About Seabex
Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are on the frontlines of climate change, struggling to increase yields while facing limited access to efficient irrigation systems. Seabex offers an innovative, sensorless smart irrigation solution that optimizes water usage and boosts productivity, with the potential to transform agricultural resilience and sustainability.
The Market Need
Smallholder farmers are the backbone of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa — and they are on the frontlines of the fight against climate change, with significant and rising challenges in the way of their success. Water scarcity, inefficient irrigation techniques, and outdated infrastructure are hindering their productivity and resilience.
According to the World Bank, only about 10% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s arable land is currently irrigated, with the majority relying on rain-fed agriculture. This low level of irrigation contributes to the region’s vulnerability to droughts and floods. Traditional flood irrigation methods, which are still prevalent, are particularly inefficient, with up to 50% of water being wasted due to factors like evaporation, seepage, and runoff.
Despite growing efforts to increase access to new methods of irrigation, many solutions are either too expensive or technologically complex for smallholder farmers to adopt effectively. To ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods in these farming communities, the need for accessible, cost efficient, and smart irrigation solutions is more critical than ever.
The Solution
Seabex provides a sensorless precision irrigation solution designed to meet the unique needs of smallholder farmers, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver data-driven advice.
Seabex’s solution integrates seamlessly with existing irrigation infrastructure, eliminating the need for expensive hardware and making it both accessible and affordable. The platform uses satellite imagery, historical climate data, and proprietary crop information to generate irrigation schedules that optimize water usage and enhance crop yields.
The solution is already demonstrating enormous potential for revolutionizing smallholder farming practices. In early tests in Tunisia, Seabex’s technology reduced water usage by up to 20% and increased crop yields by 25%. One farmer from Nakta in the south of Tunisia stated, “Before Seabex we struggled to maintain our crops with the limited water available. Now our yields have significantly improved.”
In France, using Seabex platforms helped users to reach 40% of water usage reduction for an improved yield and revenues. Results confirmed by the chambers of Agriculture in France. Rémi Dumery, one of Netirrig By Seabex in the Loiret department stated: “Whether in drought or rain, knowing the available water in the soil for my crops is crucial. Respecting the resource, organizing my work, controlling my irrigation costs, Seabex allows me to have an informed view on my irrigation management decisions”
“At Seabex, we are dedicated to empowering farmers on a large scale, enabling them to enhance profitability and sustainability in agriculture. Our solutions aim to conserve water resources and maintain the health of soil and plants. We are thrilled to partner with Mercy Corps Ventures, leveraging their support to expand our global reach and fulfill our mission.” stated Taher Mestiri, co-founder and chairman of Seabex.
Seabex’s model utilizes multiple data sources and emerging technologies to develop highly accurate irrigation advisory. The model is built to continuously evolve in response to new data inputs. Here’s how it works:
- Proprietary Crop Data: Accessed via partnerships with major agriculture companies (Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva) and local co-ops in France, Tunisia and other countries, providing a robust foundation for the model.
- Satellite Data: Offers real-time insights into crop conditions and growth stages.
- Weather Data: Integrated to estimate soil water levels and predict irrigation needs, enhanced by AI/ML models.
- Soil Data: From global or local data sources in addition to users’ soil analysis.
- AI and ML Models: Utilize deep learning to improve and refine irrigation recommendations, matching plant growth stages with vegetation indexes and predicting yields.
By combining these data sources with its AI models, Seabex provides a robust, adaptive irrigation advisory service that helps farmers optimize water usage, increase yields, and build resilience against climate change.
Investment Rationale
Supporting Seabex aligns perfectly with our commitment to adaptive agriculture and climate-smart technologies. Seabex’s AI-driven platform addresses a critical market need by providing a cost-effective, scalable solution that enhances agricultural resilience and productivity.
We believe that Seabex’s technology will not only optimize water usage but also significantly boosts crop yields, directly impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The founding team’s deep expertise in agricultural technology and AI, combined with strong partnerships and a clear route to market, positions Seabex for rapid growth and widespread impact.
By making precision irrigation accessible and affordable, Seabex is on its way to transform smallholder farming — and we’re excited to be a part of the revolution. With the support of MCV and other strategic partners, Seabex will expand its operations, bringing their cutting-edge technology to millions of farmers, enhancing food security and building climate resilience across Sub-Saharan Africa.
