Walmart Partners with Agritask to Enhance Produce-Sourcing Decisions Walmart, the world’s leading omnichannel retailer, has announced a strategic partnership with Agritask, a company specializing in crop supply intelligence. This collaboration aims to pilot a technology solution under Walmart Global Tech’s Sparkubate program. The initiative targets enhancing sourcing managers’ decision-making processes regarding seasonal fruit crop yields like cherries and blackberries. The primary goals include ensuring supply reliability, reducing food waste, and ensuring fresh produce availability for consumers. Pending successful pilot results, Walmart may expand Agritask solutions and insights for subsequent seasons.
The pilot project will deploy Agritask’s remote sensing and data analytics tools across various regions in the U.S. and Mexico. These tools will provide real-time, hyperlocal insights into seasonal blackberry and cherry crops sourced from selected Walmart suppliers. These crops were chosen due to their sensitivity to environmental factors like temperature and moisture levels, which significantly impact growth, quality, transport, and shelf life. Real-time monitoring will enable swift responses to adverse environmental conditions, enhancing overall produce quality and supply chain management.
Key insights expected from the collaboration include immediate alerts on emerging risks (e.g., unexpected frost damaging cherry harvests), real-time assessments of harvest timing, and updates on yield targets throughout the growing season. These insights will empower Walmart to adjust procurement strategies, manage inventory levels proactively, and explore alternative sourcing options.
Kyle Carlyle, Vice President of Sourcing Innovation and Surety of Supply at Walmart, highlighted the challenges sourcing managers face due to data discrepancies and environmental uncertainties in agriculture. He expressed optimism about Agritask’s technology potentially filling these information gaps crucial for predicting yield.
Ofir Ardon, CEO of Agritask, emphasized Walmart’s global scale and commitment to sustainable supply chains as ideal for integrating Agritask’s tech solutions. He expressed excitement about Walmart becoming the first retail partner to adopt Yield Intelligence, built on Agritask’s 15 years of optimizing agricultural supply chains.
The partnership with Agritask represents Walmart’s ongoing efforts to leverage technology for a sustainable and resilient supply chain. Known for previous tech collaborations like unspun’s 3D weaving technology and Rubi Laboratory’s carbon capture, Walmart aims to innovate continuously to enhance its global supply chain operations.
