E-KAKASHI: The Agricultural Intelligence Brain

The project seeks to improve the productivity and sustainability of rice cultivation in Colombia through an innovative technological solution that combines Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence and cyber-physical systems. This technology, developed by PS Solutions (Softbank Group), transforms agriculture into a science based on data by collecting real-time information from the environment and crops to determine optimal levels of agricultural parameters. The project will benefit 16,000 Colombian rice farmers, especially small producers from areas affected by armed conflicts who face productivity problems due to lack of access to technologies and financial services. Additionally, e-kakashi contributes to solving environmental problems by optimizing water use and reducing methane emissions from rice paddies, which represent approximately 20% of global emissions of this gas. The project has two phases: demonstration of efficacy under real conditions in collaboration with CIAT and commercial expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean, combining non-reimbursable technical cooperation (up to US$500,000) with equity investment (up to US$1,500,000).