Food supply chains around the world are made up of various participants, however, farmers are the basis of all of them. In this sense, the Mexican agricultural market is one of the most important sectors of the national economy and has been a fundamental pillar in the country's history and culture.
Agriculture in Mexico is diverse: it is carried out by both small families for their own as well as commercial agriculture. About 5.4 million Mexicans are engaged in agriculture in the country, 80% of whom are small producers, working on plots of less than 5 hectares and with limited access to advice.
But the challenges are vast. Over the next three decades, the world population is expected to increase by 2 billion people, from 8 billion to an estimated 10 billion by 2050, which means that food production will have to double on an ever-decreasing area of arable land. In addition, climate change is affecting rainfall patterns and altering pest and disease patterns in crops, which may reduce food production and increase the cost of agricultural inputs.
With the right tools and information, farmers can make a difference and better address the evolving challenges we all face, whether to help ensure global food security, fight climate change or conserve valuable natural resources.
Challenge
Bayer Crop Science is constantly innovating and seeks to serve the region's farmers in a streamlined and frictionless way. The vast majority of farmers are located in places that are difficult to access, so they have little or no technical advice, which is often necessary to maximize their productivity.
How can we inform and guide those farmers who have no technical advice?
Eager to find a solution, Bayer Crop Science Mexico set out to lead the way by capitalizing on the use of messaging applications where farmers have had strong adoption. Driven by open innovation, they decided to work with industry experts who would provide a consulting service rather than a supply service. And it was there that from the command of Yalutec and Yalo they created "CultiBot", the first automated agricultural advisor by WhatsApp.
CultiBot is a tool that seeks to solve problems when the farmer has pests or diseases in his crop, providing support all the way from planting to harvesting. In addition, it informs farmers about the specific weather of the plot, detailing the current conditions and delivering a forecast for the next three days, extremely valuable to farmers, since the weather is directly related to decision making in a crop.
Findings
WhatsApp has a wide acceptance by Latin Americans, it is easy to adopt by audiences that traditionally have not adapted quickly to technology, so age or level of schooling is not a barrier to conversational commerce channels.
In addition, it is a tool that works with a low level of Internet connectivity, one of the challenges faced in agriculture; and its costs are affordable, as it is included in most cell phone plans offered in the region.
The automated WhatsApp channel has been a complement to Bayer Crop Science's digital ecosystem by allowing users to connect with the company easily and quickly through their preferred communication channels.
Results
- In 24 months we have been able to generate farmer profiles, understanding: who they are, where they are, what crops they grow, what problems they face, the climate of the place where they are located.
- This has helped to generate segmentations and thus be able to send them accurate information such as: weather reports, pest alerts, advice on the management of their crops given the region where they are located and promotions.
- The platform generates data on channel open rates, recurrence and completion of the inquiry flow. As a company, this information is valuable and relevant, as it allows us to understand user behavior, which supports decision making and the creation of new proposals that generate value for farmers in the region.
