Orbia’s Precision Agriculture business, Netafim, and Bayer have announced the expansion of their strategic partnership to introduce advanced digital farming solutions tailored for fruit and vegetable growers. The initiative aims to simplify data collection, deliver personalized recommendations, and optimize resource use while reducing environmental impact.
Addressing Current Gaps in Horticulture Digital Tools
Despite the growing adoption of digital tools in agriculture, many existing solutions fail to address the holistic needs of horticultural growers. Fragmented systems and the need to navigate multiple applications often complicate growers’ daily operations. To address these challenges, Bayer has developed HortiView, a digital platform designed to streamline data collection and sharing, enabling growers to access a connected ecosystem of agronomic services for informed, data-driven decisions.
Simultaneously, Orbia Netafim has integrated irrigation insights into the HortiView platform. These insights provide growers with personalized irrigation recommendations based on their specific primary data. Additionally, the collaboration will incorporate Orbia Netafim’s GrowSphere™, an all-in-one irrigation operating system featuring optimized irrigation, crop protection, and fertigation tools.
Transforming Horticulture with Tailored Solutions
“Digital technology offers tremendous value in horticulture, but the lack of integration between tools has made it challenging for growers to optimize crop production using their own data,” said Chris Pienaar, Fruit & Vegetable Digital New Value Lead at Bayer’s Crop Science division. “By leveraging our combined expertise, Bayer and Orbia Netafim can deliver tailored recommendations that suit each grower’s unique environment and practices.”
A select group of grower advisors is currently testing the new solutions, providing feedback to guide future improvements and broader rollout. This collaboration is poised to help growers maximize crop yields, enhance operational efficiency, and save on agricultural inputs through data-driven insights.
Building on a Legacy of Collaboration
This expanded effort builds on a longstanding partnership between Bayer and Orbia Netafim, which includes initiatives like the Better Life Farming program, tailored solutions for U.S. almond growers, and contributions to the EU’s Farm2Fork initiative.
Ofer Oveed, SVP Technology and Crops at Orbia Precision Agriculture, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: “By uniting our expertise in irrigation, crop protection, agronomy, and digital platforms, we’re leading the digital farming revolution to address global challenges like climate change and rising input costs. Together, we aim to ensure food security through sustainable agricultural practices.”
Moving forward, Bayer and Orbia Netafim will continue to explore opportunities to enhance digital connectivity across all agricultural sectors and value chains, driving the future of sustainable farming worldwide.
