For those who don’t know, Mana Agro is Mana Common’s agriculture-focused division. Moishe Mana, Mana Common’s CEO and Chairman, has made various investments in lands in Colombia. Referred to as the “agro rockstar” amongst Colombians, Mana’s local avocado and mango businesses have continued to strive.
At the Expo Agrofuturo conference back in October, an event that brought together the biggest players in the South American agricultural industry, Mana announced Mana Agro’s alliance with Microsoft and Croper, which aims to improve connectivity and performance across agricultural farms in Colombia.
Croper is an agricultural marketplace that connects producers with suppliers. By getting rid of the middleman in the production chain, producers are expected to increase profits. The platform will also grant them access to buyers interested in their products.
Microsoft’s contributions play a key role in this alliance, as well. They will share their expertise in connectivity for rural areas and technologies designed for the field. This allows farmers to have access not only to the internet, but also educational and health programs designed specifically for life on the field. This will improve the community’s quality of life and their digital skills training.
Together, the alliance will serve as an agro-supportive ecosystem and provide innovative solutions to challenges faced in the field through connectivity and exclusive access to markets. The plan is to facilitate the implementation of sensors at the farms and connect analytic services and smart farming techniques so farmers can make better decisions and increase productivity. This project will impact 1500 farmers in Jericó, Antioquia.