How AyaGrow Restored an Underperforming Oil Palm Estate

West African Agribusiness (WAA), an 800-hectare oil palm plantation in Sierra Leone, struggled with multiple operational challenges including inaccurate tree inventory, imprecise yield forecasting, inadequate terrain management, and significant losses from theft. These issues severely impacted their productivity and profitability. Learn how AyaGrow’s AI-powered crop and field management solution transformed WAA’s operations by automating data collection, reducing theft, increasing worker safety and compliance, and boosting long-term profitability.

West African Agribusiness (WAA) is an emerging oil palm plantation based in Sierra Leone, managing approximately 800 hectares of farmland. After a period of decline, WAA underwent a management change focused on rejuvenating its operations and boosting productivity. Efficient resource allocation, accurate yield forecasting, and continuous monitoring of progress are critical to WAA’s growth strategy. Using AyaGrow, an AI-powered crop and field management platform, WAA leveraged advanced technologies to automate data capture, turn insights into action, and monitor changes over time.

Challenge

WAA faced significant operational challenges that hindered productivity:

1. Inventory Assessment
   The plantation lacked an accurate and up-to-date census of its trees. Previous manual inventory methods were time-consuming, prone to error, and failed to provide actionable insights into tree health, density, and productivity gaps.
2. Yield Gap Assessment
   With no reliable method for identifying yield gaps, WAA struggled to estimate its current and potential production. Without comprehensive data on tree condition, blank spots, and tree crown diameters, yield forecasting was imprecise, leading to inefficient resource allocation and missed revenue opportunities.
3. Site Mapping and Terrain Management
   Traditional terrain mapping was labor-intensive and insufficient for proactive water management and operational safety. This increased the risk of yield losses from flooding and soil erosion.
4. Pilfering and Security Risks
   Theft and pilfering were impacting WAA’s profitability. Without precise monitoring, discrepancies between expected and actual yield went undetected, and areas at high risk of pilfering could not be effectively secured.
5. Stunted and Underperforming Trees
   WAA lacked a systematic approach for identifying and improving the health of stunted or underperforming trees, limiting the potential for yield optimization.

Solution

Using AyaGrow’s AI-driven drone-based solution, WAA has transformed its approach to plantation management by automating data collection, converting it into actionable insights, and ensuring continuous monitoring through its digital platform.

1. Automated Inventory Assessment with Drone and AI Technology. AyaGrow’s Census feature enables WAA to map its entire 800-hectare estate with unparalleled accuracy. The platform identifies and geolocates each tree, measuring crown diameter and assessing tree health while pinpointing blank spots. Key benefits include:
   1. Time and Cost Savings: Automating the census reduced the time required for tree counting from several weeks to just a few days, freeing labor for critical pest and disease management tasks.
   2. Enhanced Resource Allocation: By distinguishing cultivated areas from blank or underutilized sections, WAA can better plan fertilizer, pruning, and spraying activities, significantly reducing unnecessary expenditures.
   3. Daily Data Updates: WAA’s in-house drone captures imagery daily, which is uploaded to AyaGrow’s platform for continuous tracking of plantation changes and results of management actions.
2. Yield Gap Assessment for Optimized Production AyaGrow’s Yield Gap tool combines drone imagery with AI analysis to provide both current and potential yield estimates. Key outcomes include:
   1. Data-Driven Yield Forecasting: Accurate projections based on tree count, health, and crown size now allow WAA to align its harvesting schedule and resource planning with realistic yield targets.
   2. Potential Yield Optimization: AyaGrow provides actionable recommendations for increasing yield by implementing best practices, giving WAA a clear path to achieving its full production potential.
3. Automated Site Mapping and Terrain Management. AyaGrow’s Terrain Analysis feature offers precise topographical mapping, identifying areas prone to flooding and providing insights into drainage and water management. Key benefits include:
   1. Flood Risk Mitigation: Automated terrain mapping enables WAA to proactively address waterlogged areas, reducing yield losses and operational disruptions.
   2. Worker Safety and Efficiency: Replacing manual terrain analysis with drone-based mapping has improved safety and reduced risk by eliminating the need for workers to traverse hazardous areas.
4. Pilfering Prevention and Security Management. AyaGrow’s yield estimation tool uses drone imagery to calculate expected yield across different areas of the plantation. By comparing predicted yield with actual harvest data, WAA can:
   1. Identify Discrepancies: Quickly detect areas with lower-than-expected harvests, flagging potential pilfering hotspots.
   2. Targeted Security Measures: Isolate high-risk zones and implement security precautions, such as enhanced surveillance or patrolling.
   3. Loss Reduction: Proactively manage theft risk to protect revenue and optimize profitability.
5. Stunted Tree Identification and Improvement Procedures. AyaGrow’s AI-driven analysis identifies stunted and underperforming trees, generating customized improvement plans. WAA uses the platform to:
   1. Health Diagnosis: Pinpoint trees with poor crown diameter or health metrics.
   2. Actionable Improvement Tasks: Assign and track procedures such as targeted fertilizer application, pruning, or pest control.
   3. Performance Monitoring: Continuously track tree recovery and yield improvement over time.

Results

With AyaGrow’s technology, WAA achieved transformative results in the following areas:

Cost savings

1. Reduced fertilizer costs: By accurately identifying cultivated versus uncultivated areas, WAA avoided unnecessary fertilizer application costs, yielding significant annual savings.
2. Enhanced Water Management: Mapping lowland and flood-prone areas improved drainage planning, reducing the impact of flooding on crop health and yield.
3. Time Savings and Resource Optimization: Having reduced time saved on manual activities by an estimated 90%, WAA can now reallocate skilled labor to more critical functions, such as terrain management and enhanced pest and disease monitoring, further saving costs.
4. Security and Loss Mitigation: Pilfering detection and targeted security interventions reduced revenue losses from theft.

Increased revenue

1. Yield Potential Realized: Accurate yield gap analysis enabled WAA to set realistic production goals and implement best practices to close yield gaps, boosting long-term profitability.
2. Tree Health Optimization: Systematic tracking of tree health and improvement tasks led to higher productivity and better long-term yield outcomes.

Reduced risk

1. Increased worker safety. Workers no longer need to put their safety at risk by doing manual terrain analysis of potentially dangerous areas.
2. Automated Data Capture and Continuous Monitoring: WAA’s ability to upload daily drone data allows near real-time monitoring of plantation conditions and the effectiveness of management actions.

Conclusion

AyaGrow’s AI-driven solutions empowered WAA to rejuvenate its operations with data-driven precision. By automating inventory management, optimizing yield forecasting, enhancing terrain analysis, and securing the plantation against theft, WAA is now well-positioned to achieve sustainable growth, maximize its revenue potential, and ensure long-term operational efficiency.

Testimonial 

“AyaGrow has completely transformed how we manage our plantation. With drone-based insights and AI-driven recommendations, we can make smarter, faster decisions that boost productivity and reduce costs. The ability to monitor our progress daily has been a game-changer. Our future looks brighter, and our operations are more efficient than ever.” — Chris Rothera, CEO of WAA