Innovation

To address SDG #2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG #13 (Climate Action), ListenField utilizes an innovative FarmAI platform, which relies on Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Remote Sensing, and Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). These innovative data processes allow for the company to analyze soil, climate, and crop management data – important crop growth factors – for farmers in Thailand, Vietnam, India, Japan, and Colombia. CEO Rassarin Chinnachodteeranun explains, “[ListenField] combine[s] these technologies with our unique models to provide relevant insights for all productive stakeholders, from soil preparation to harvesting, helping rebuild the fragmented farming ecosystem.”

Rassarin explains how her company has impacted the farming practices in Thailand among smallholder communities and major food companies. Both small, family-run farms and large corporations have benefited from innovative information services. Chinnachodteeranun explains that ListenField has provided farming communities with “real-time soil nutrition [levels] to optimize fertilizer use, field-level rice growth and water level monitoring of 100+ fields [to] optimize farmer workloads [and]... productivity.” ListenField also provides optimal harvesting dates and field capacities, allowing farmers to efficiently schedule machine operations for farm-to-farm harvesting. Ultimately, through ListenField’s innovative technology, the company has aided in improving work efficiency for farmers by reducing their time consumption by 25%.

For the nations ListenField operates in, achieving SDG #2 and #13 are paramount. The innovative technology ListenField provides allows farmers, regardless of their farm-size, to utilize powerful data metrics that ultimately reduce time and energy, but increase yield. Individuals at the bottom of the pyramid, the low-income individuals who make up the largest percent of the population, report higher crop yields via more sustainable farming practices.

Inspiration

Rassarin Chinnachodteeranun is the CEO and co-founder of ListenField, with a Ph.D. in engineering from Chubu University in Nagoya, Japan. Rassarin’s inspiration comes from childhood, mentioning that, “growing up in rural Thailand and having been exposed to farming since childhood, I noticed that farmers have remained poor despite the rapid globalization and technological advancements. At its very core, farmers are the ones who put food on our tables, and yet they are constantly faced with various degrees of uncertainties, making their lives unpredictable and burdensome.” Growing up exposed to poor farming conditions, she sought to increase the quality of farm products in addition to the welfare of the farmers. Through her academic research, she explored how machine vision and data gathering, integration, and processing could improve crop quality, reduce the use of fertilizers, estimate crop growth, empower farmers to make better decisions, and overall allow for a more sustainable and qualitative agricultural production. She said, “after extensively working with farmers and scientists for over ten years, as a digital agriculture expert, I saw a huge gap in the utilization of data in making optimal farming decisions. Therefore, I developed an analytics platform that quantifies multidimensional data (soil, climate, phenology) to generate agricultural insights that are easily understood by farmers and extension workers. I designed the platform to enhance farmer expertise and know-how, at low-cost.” The platform she discusses was eventually patented and included in Japan’s agricultural reform policies and is now known as ListenField’s FarmAI platform.

Overall impact

The short-term effects of the services provided by ListenField are very beneficial. For example, the results of ListenField’s FarmAI platform in Thailand were significant, resulting in a 50% reduction in fertilizer expenses, which, in turn, increased the income of rice farmers by 20% or $60 USD per ton. The use of advanced technologies such as AI to optimize the use of inputs, including fertilizers, seeds, and water, has played a crucial role in helping farmers increase their yields, reduce costs, and improve profitability. The platform provides farmers with real-time data on weather patterns, soil moisture levels, and pest infestations, which enables them to make informed decisions on the optimal use of inputs.

The long-term effects of the services provided by ListenField go beyond immediate cost savings and increased yields. The integrated farming approach employed by the platform empowers farmers and production stakeholders with relevant information, allowing them to work together in a collaborative way. By promoting an ecosystem that encourages collaboration and information sharing, the platform helps farmers become more productive and resilient to changing market conditions. This approach has been included in Japan's agricultural reform policies, indicating its potential to shape agricultural practices in the region and beyond.

The use of services provided by ListenField can lead to more sustainable agricultural practices, as farmers can better optimize their inputs to reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining or increasing yields. This is particularly important given the growing global population and the need to produce more food sustainably. By providing farmers with data and insights, the platform can help reduce the risk of crop failures due to factors such as droughts, floods, and pests, improving food security and livelihoods for farming communities.

Business benefit

ListenField utilizes a cross-border approach to hiring and cooperating on an international scale to best achieve SDG #2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG #13 (Climate Action). By employing twenty-eight employees from nine various nationalities, ListenField has been able to successfully enter new markets. ListenField’s unique services benefit smallholder farmers in five different countries: Japan, Thailand, India, Vietnam, and Colombia by providing the tools to achieve precision agriculture, resulting in high quality crops, saving scarce resources, and decreasing the financial and environmental costs of farming. The diverse background of ListenField’s remote sensing specialists, climatologists, agronomists, crop-visualizing data scientists, and software engineers allows the company to adopt creative problem-solving techniques to best approach novel problems within the AgTech space.

The company’s unique business model has not only succeeded in benefiting multiple SDGs, but has also proven financially successful. In 2022, ListenField reported an 18% revenue growth.

ListenField actively promotes gender equality amongst the company. Rassarin Chinnachodteeranun, the CEO of ListenField, is a pioneer for women in the AgTech space. She strives to promote the representation of women in her business. Fifty percent of executives at ListenField are female. In comparison, internationally, women comprise only 23% of executive roles within business organizations. Furthermore, Chinnachodteeranun reports that within two traditionally male-dominated divisions at ListenField (science and engineering and operation), women comprise 40% and 75% of the employees, respectively.

Social and environmental benefit

ListenField’s informal mission statement reads, “Transforming Agriculture for the benefit of All Stakeholders.” Working towards doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people ListenField is aiming to benefit all of their stakeholders - employees, society, and the environment. CEO Rassarin Chinnachodteeranun explains that, “ListenField has been working with more than 25,000 farmers, more than 20 communities and agribusinesses in 5 countries to provide integrated agri-environmental solutions.” Combining agriculture and technology has helped ListenField achieve these numbers and make such a positive impact on their stakeholders.

Rassarin states that they are working with these large forces in order to, “Increase crop yield, improve farmer livelihoods, and solve the food crisis” she also explains they are working to, “improve fertilizer use efficiency to reduce negative environmental impact and improve soil health and carbon to create a healthy and sustainable production environment.” By working directly with its stakeholders to create positive environmental and personal life changes ListenField has implemented sustainable practices in order to benefit the greater good.

By improving soil health and carbon emissions, ListenField has worked to create a healthy and sustainable production environment. By constantly considering all stakeholders ListenField has made it their mission to positively impact all those who are involved and affected by the company. Fusing Agricultural practices and technology is something that many companies are working towards, but ListenField has their foot way past the door and will continue to implement these positive practices.

Interview

Rassarin Chinnachodteeranun, CEO & Co-Founder