Farmers who have committed to grow environmentally-friendly cover crops are now able to quickly verify their work while they are out on their land via a new smartphone app eveloped for efficient catchment management.
The app is the latest development from EnTrade, the online platform that facilitates efficient catchment spending between buyers of environmental measures, such as water companies, and sellers such as farmers and landowners. Its aim is to improve the natural environment by enabling better collaboration between the buyers and sellers of environmental measures.
The first-of-its-kind and simple-to-use software allows farmers to upload pictures and details of their crops direct from the field via their smartphone. Once submitted, machine learning technology automatically identifies and confirms the crop and its location fulfilling the commitment.
EnTrade creates a market in a catchment, which provides financial incentive and guidance for farmers to create measures that reduce environmental impact such as reducing excess nutrients entering nearby watercourses.
EnTrade’s managing director Guy Thompson said:
“Our whole business model is designed around making it financially viable, supportive and easier for farmers to deliver more for the environment. The launch of our app will help us to make even bigger strides in this direction.
“Through our engagement with farmers, we understand that they want to maximise their environmental contributions, while still producing quality food. However, we also recognise their extremely busy workloads and long hours. Our app allows farmers to verify their cover crops instantly, meaning they can get on with their day without creating extra administrative work.”
The EnTrade app is free to download from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store for Android devices.
EnTrade’s pilot with Wessex Water in the Poole Harbour catchment area saved 47.5 tonnes of nitrogen from entering the harbour and delivered a 30% saving for the company compared to traditional catchment approaches. EnTrade has since worked with other companies to increase farmer engagement and deliver environmental results.
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