Nature helps nature: Use AI to improve global farming through nature-powered innovation .

Case Introduction:

What is the current problem?

Biologicals are naturally derived products that can support crop health and sustainability outcomes. In the face of new threats to crops from changing climates, biological products can help to protect yields, improve soil health and enable farmers to continue to feed a growing population. However, a lack of understanding and data access on biological efficacy across various climates, soil types and conditions mean that many farmers cannot make the best product selection for their field or crop, leading to suboptimal yields and worse outcomes in the face of environmental challenges.

What is the expected final product?

An AI-enabled solution designed to support farmers in:

• Visualizing the climate, soil and disease risks facing them and the implications for their crop;
• Recommending the best fit biological products for their crop, soil types and field conditions and when to apply them;
• Track outcomes during the season and use the data to improve recommendations for the subsequent year.

The solution can take various forms: an app, website

Who are the users of this solution?

Primary users will be farmers in India and Brazil. The teams are free to choose one of the locations of the farmer.

Optionally: Farmers, ag retailers, agronomists etc

Deep Dive Slides: Presentation

Further Information:

Syngenta will provide access to environmental data, products, and agronomics algorithms.

• CE Hub: a data lake for crop and environmental datasets
• Product card: Understand the products and gain insights into what is grown
• Agronomy stress algorithms logic – Apply the science-driven logic to tackle crop challenges with the power of AI!

Hackers are invited to use programming software such as Python and any other tools at their disposal to tackle the case

Resources:

Below is an overview of the tools that you may use during the hack:

• CE-Hub: Provides a central access point for environmental data associated with time and geographical coordinates. Through well-defined APIs, it is possible to obtain historical weather data, vegetation health information, soil characteristics, land use, and topography.​ Documentation, API Postman Collection, Swagger API Documentation and Video Tutorial
• Agronomy stress algorithms: Apply the science-driven logic to tackle crop challenges with the power of AI! Documentation
• product data cards: Comprehensive guides providing essential information about biological agricultural products. These cards offer detailed insights into each product's composition, usage, and efficacy, helping users understand and optimize their application in various agricultural scenarios. Documentation
• UI Style Resources: Comprehensive set of UI design assets to ensure your hackathon projects align with our brand identity. These resources include logos,Typography guidelines and Icon set. Documentation

Judging Criteria:

Judgment criteria are important for the participants to understand the focus of the case. You could either focus more on the technical aspect (coding and programming), on the business aspect (product fitting in the market), or it can be both. Please also add the weighted criteria. Scoring 1 to 5 (5 best) for each category.

• Creativity (25%)

• Functional / accuracy/applicability (25%)

• Visual design/accessibility / ease of use (25%)

• Presentation quality (25%)

Presentation Prototype:

Format:

• A working prototype (e.g., an app, website, etc.) and a concise PowerPoint presentation

Key elements:

• Clear problem articulation: Clearly define the identified problem.

• Solution representation: Showcase the proposed solution prototype

• Functional highlights. Highlight the key functionalities of the application – Awareness, recommendation and feedback loop. Any other functionalities or visualization is a bonus.

• Decision-making process: Explain how the solution effectively tackles the identified problem.

• Visual Components: Include visual elements that enhance understanding (graphics, charts,…)

Requirements:

• Clarity in communicating the problem-solution fit – how does this solution solve the problem

• Usability of the solution based on the user base

• Usage of latest technologies to simulate the algorithm and visualize the impact

Point of Contact:

The following individuals will be onsite to provide support in tackling the hack case:

• Marco Issenmann (Head Digital Marketing and Branding)

• Kiran Joseph (Head IT & Digital Biologicals)

• Conor Marsh (Digital Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Lead)

• Paolo Di Lernia (Head of Seedcare and Biologicals Communications)

• Pradeep Kethireddy (Platform Manager)

Prize - the winning team members will each receive:

An expenses-paid trip to Italy’s Adriatic coast and home of Syngenta’s Biological business in the beautiful region of Abruzzo. The winning team will have an opportunity to tour our facilities and present their solution to Syngenta leadership, experience a visit to a local farm to sample the delicious local produce and wine, and enjoy some free time to relax at the beach before returning home.