Google Cloud Platform Case Studies AgroStar: Leveraging Google Cloud to Empower Small Farmers in India

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	AgroStar: Leveraging Google Cloud to Empower Small Farmers in India Google Cloud Platform

AgroStar: Leveraging Google Cloud to Empower Small Farmers in India

Google Cloud Platform

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Agriculture Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Agriculture Disease & Pest Management Farm Monitoring & Precision Farming
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration
Challenge	AgroStar, an ecommerce platform selling farm supplies, was facing challenges in expanding its services to small farmers in India. The company aimed to provide a full-service platform that combines agronomy, data science, machine learning, and analytics to boost crop yields and improve income for these farmers. However, the lack of access to new, higher yield seeds and improved soil analyses for small farmers, who had to rely on traditional methods, was a significant hurdle. Additionally, the dissemination of innovative information from universities to small, grassroots farmers was slow and inefficient. The company also faced the challenge of providing timely advice in five languages on various aspects of farming, including seed optimization, crop rotation, soil nutrition, and pest control. Read More
About Customer	AgroStar's customers are small farmers in India, particularly those operating in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, and Karnataka. These farmers, who cultivate fewer than three acres, often face challenges such as crop damage due to unforeseen weather and pests, and lack access to farming-related information. They also have limited access to new, higher yield seeds and improved soil analyses, and often have to rely on traditional farming methods. AgroStar's mobile app, AgroStar Agri-Doctor, is designed to help these farmers by providing them with timely advice in five languages on various aspects of farming, including seed optimization, crop rotation, soil nutrition, and pest control. Read More
Solution	AgroStar turned to Google Cloud to expand its offering and launched a cloud-based mobile app to help boost crop yields and encourage best practices for small farmers in India. The app, AgroStar Agri-Doctor, provides access to the firm's knowledge base hosted on Google Cloud, a Q&A forum that connects farmers to each other, and information about innovative practices and products. It also provides links to purchase and track the delivery of farm tools and supplies. AgroStar used Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for crop advice management and Compute Engine for its production application services. The company also used Firebase to implement its Agri-Doctor app, which shares knowledge base updates with one million users in near real time. AgroStar is also developing a variety of machine learning components to improve responsiveness and extend its platform offerings. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Agriculture

Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Agriculture Disease & Pest Management

Farm Monitoring & Precision Farming

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Challenge

AgroStar, an ecommerce platform selling farm supplies, was facing challenges in expanding its services to small farmers in India. The company aimed to provide a full-service platform that combines agronomy, data science, machine learning, and analytics to boost crop yields and improve income for these farmers. However, the lack of access to new, higher yield seeds and improved soil analyses for small farmers, who had to rely on traditional methods, was a significant hurdle. Additionally, the dissemination of innovative information from universities to small, grassroots farmers was slow and inefficient. The company also faced the challenge of providing timely advice in five languages on various aspects of farming, including seed optimization, crop rotation, soil nutrition, and pest control.

About Customer

AgroStar's customers are small farmers in India, particularly those operating in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Orissa, Bihar, and Karnataka. These farmers, who cultivate fewer than three acres, often face challenges such as crop damage due to unforeseen weather and pests, and lack access to farming-related information. They also have limited access to new, higher yield seeds and improved soil analyses, and often have to rely on traditional farming methods. AgroStar's mobile app, AgroStar Agri-Doctor, is designed to help these farmers by providing them with timely advice in five languages on various aspects of farming, including seed optimization, crop rotation, soil nutrition, and pest control.

Solution

AgroStar turned to Google Cloud to expand its offering and launched a cloud-based mobile app to help boost crop yields and encourage best practices for small farmers in India. The app, AgroStar Agri-Doctor, provides access to the firm's knowledge base hosted on Google Cloud, a Q&A forum that connects farmers to each other, and information about innovative practices and products. It also provides links to purchase and track the delivery of farm tools and supplies. AgroStar used Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for crop advice management and Compute Engine for its production application services. The company also used Firebase to implement its Agri-Doctor app, which shares knowledge base updates with one million users in near real time. AgroStar is also developing a variety of machine learning components to improve responsiveness and extend its platform offerings.

Impact #1	The use of Google Cloud has enabled AgroStar to significantly improve its operational efficiency. The company has been able to streamline deployments with no downtime, freeing up time and resources for new verticals. The use of Google Kubernetes Engine and Compute Engine has allowed the firm to build the backend for the Agri-Doctor discussion forum in just three weeks. The company has also been able to improve customer response times by 85%, even as traffic grew significantly. Furthermore, the use of Firebase has enabled the company to share knowledge base updates with one million users in near real time. The company is also developing machine learning components to improve responsiveness and extend its platform offerings.

Impact #1

The use of Google Cloud has enabled AgroStar to significantly improve its operational efficiency. The company has been able to streamline deployments with no downtime, freeing up time and resources for new verticals. The use of Google Kubernetes Engine and Compute Engine has allowed the firm to build the backend for the Agri-Doctor discussion forum in just three weeks. The company has also been able to improve customer response times by 85%, even as traffic grew significantly. Furthermore, the use of Firebase has enabled the company to share knowledge base updates with one million users in near real time. The company is also developing machine learning components to improve responsiveness and extend its platform offerings.

Benefit #1	Improved customer response times by 85% even as traffic grew significantly.
Benefit #2	Built the backend for the Agri-Doctor discussion forum in only three weeks.
Benefit #3	Reached over a million farmers through its Android app, the AgroStar Agri-Doctor.

Benefit #1

Improved customer response times by 85% even as traffic grew significantly.

Benefit #2

Built the backend for the Agri-Doctor discussion forum in only three weeks.

Benefit #3

Reached over a million farmers through its Android app, the AgroStar Agri-Doctor.

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Overview

AgroStar: Leveraging Google Cloud to Empower Small Farmers in India

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit