Connecting farmers for a better supply chain.

Despite the productivity gains made in recent years, farming in Indonesia is still a tough line of business to be in. The sector is reportedly booming under Widodo’s leadership, with an increase in the production of staple crops such as rice and soy, and record numbers of employment (roughly a third of the population), but the Indonesian Farmers Association reports significant welfare challenges, including lack of access to working capital, high quality seeds, fertilizers, agricultural technology, and efficient distribution.

A new fintech start-up plans to turn things around, and is attracting investors. Tani Group raised $10m in a Series A funding round, just a year after winning the support of several angel investors. Its aim is to build a better supply chain for farmers by connecting small and medium-sized agriculture enterprises directly with buyers. Already, it has linked over 400 of these SMEs to markets, including Indonesia’s largest supermarket chains Lottemart, Giant, and HERO.

Not only does the group facilitate direct sales, but it also connects farmers directly with lenders through a crowd-financing platform, TaniFund, enabling food producers (including farms and fisheries) to invest in their businesses, becoming more responsive to market trends. The platform offers investors an annual return of up to 24% through a fair profit-sharing scheme, supported by experienced investment managers who select the best farms to ensure high yields. It won first prize in the 2017 national competition Finspire, powered by a Mandiri bank subsidiary to seek out the best opportunities in fintech.

Funders can choose to invest in particular crop harvests which are advertised with tenures stretching from one month to over two years, and detailed notes on the prospects and risks. For instance, you can now invest in Berastagi carrots, famous in North Sumatra and sought-after for vitamin A and antioxidants used in facial masks and other cosmetics, giving them broad market appeal and potential. The cultivators are Radhea Putra Farmer Group in Margamukti Village, Bandung, who have been selected by TaniFund for their good track record in carrots, and also potatoes and tomatoes.

While most of the Group’s focus is on the wholesale supply chain, it has also launched TaniHu—a farm-to-table app that allows consumers to source fresh produce directly, bypassing the country’s outdated, wasteful, and complex distribution systems. Early user reviews are encouraging. Dhiya Sholiha writes: “Tanihub gives me a chance to buy things from local farmers … In some markets, it gives more varieties than shopping in local markets. The vegetables are fresh and take only a few hours to deliver.” However, she adds, it’s slow to load. Other reviewers also praise the product quality, competitive pricing, and delivery times. One asks if they have plans to expand in Pakistan.

Is this the future of agricultural investment?

This article was originally published on MIT Insights

In the digital age and Industrial Revolution 4.0, the agriculture sector is undergoing a massive change by leveraging on digital technologies, especially the Internet of Things (IoT), to create a smarter agriculture.

With the help of robots, drones, remote sensors, and computer imaging combined with continuously progressing machine learning and analytical tools, farmers are monitoring crops, surveying and mapping the fields and using data-driven insights to enjoy higher productivity, saving time, and optimising resources and efforts.

One of the systems that is increasing in popularity and creating smarter agriculture is the Smart Farming system. Smart Farming makes extensive use of sensors (light, humidity, temperature, soil moisture, crop health, etc.) to monitor farm and crop conditions, and automating the irrigation and/or fertigation system.  IoT enables devices embedded with sensors to connect and interact via the internet. These devices can be anything from pumps and tractors to weather stations and computers. Smart Farming allows farmers to monitor the field conditions from anywhere, at any time, in real time. Using the combined power of IoT with Big Data and Cloud, a successful communication, connection and transference of data between devices, are done most effectively and efficiently. Digital Connectivity and Cloud Computing are the essential enabler for Smart Farming. Digital connectivity is the foundation without which none of the Smart Agriculture solutions can take place. It is the necessary pre-condition that allows communication between devices and access by stakeholders. Meanwhile, cloud computing enables the hosting platform for IoT and Big Data as well as powers up the data analytics and visualisation.

Solving common agriculture challenges

The value of smart agriculture solutions lies in its promising ability to address some of the longstanding industry challenges – both at the macro and micro level:

• Food security – With increased prosperity, population growth, and urbanisation, comes food security issues. These call for sustainable agricultural practices that can produce more with less resources.
• Climate change – Climate change disrupts agriculture in a massive way, where natural catastrophes and unstable weather conditions are posing challenges to farmers globally.
• Low agriculture productivity and yield – With greater urbanisation, reduction in arable land and the use of traditional methods of farming are leading to reduced yield, high wastage and sub-optimal productivity.
• High operating cost – With labour shortage especially in agriculture where manual labour is seen as difficult and energy-consuming, farmers are facing high manpower cost. Meanwhile the cost of fertilisers is also increasing globally, leading to the increased need to ensure its efficient use.
• Health hazards to farmers – the traditional way of fertilising crops, for example through manual spraying, is posing health hazards to farmers due to exposures to agricultural chemicals

The benefits of IoT in agriculture

With the use of IoT in agriculture, farmers are reaping the benefits from increased agility and data-driven farming. Thanks to real-time monitoring and prediction systems, farmers can quickly respond to any significant changes in weather, humidity, air quality as well as the health of each crop or soil in the field.

• Integrated and technology-driven solutions to improve success rate
• Increase domestic production and reduce agriculture imports
• Improve farmers earnings and provide income sustainability
• Catalyst of change for other agricultural innovation

TM One – The Right Partner for Your Next Agriculture Future

With TM One’s comprehensive and fit-for-purpose digital solutions, from connectivity right down to the digital and smart systems and applications, combined with the technical experts who are ready to guide our customers throughout their digitalisation journey, players in the agriculture sector can be assured of a smooth and seamless path to the Next Future of Agriculture.

To know more about TM One’s smart agriculture solution, visit https://www.tmone.com.my/solutions/smart-services/smart-agriculture/

MIMOS, Malaysia’s leading government technology provider, is developing a regional Internet of Things (IoT) hub for agriculture to deliver better yields and lower costs for a more sustainable approach.

While MIMOS, Malaysia’s national applied R&D Centre, is building and sustaining the country’s technology industry with the aim of becoming a key player in the emerging global Internet of Things (IoT) economy. “We are in effect a cost centre for Malaysia’s innovation economy,” says Thillai Raj T. Ramananthan, chief technology officer of MIMOS, who is “tasked with creating, developing and commercialising intellectual property.”

Currently, Raj and his 800 colleagues (including some 600 scientists, engineers, and other technical personnel) are focusing on an industry segment that is at a unique cross-section of Malaysia’s economic assets: deploying Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled analytics to develop efficiency and productivity in the country’s agricultural economy.

MIMOS was established in 1985 and currently carries out its remit through two applied research laboratories, one focused on advanced electrical and electronics hardware development, the other on communication technologies. The latter concentrates on areas such as artificial intelligence, software engineering and data analytics. More than 500 intellectual property, which was developed by MIMOS has been commercialised by Malaysian technology companies.

MIMOS supports initiatives across an entire spectrum of technology areas from augmented reality to blockchain, and has had extensive consultations with industry leaders.

One of the national facilities housed within MIMOS is the Big Data Internet of Things (IoT) Technology Accelerator (BITX) Lab. The BITX Lab is an open innovation laboratory that provides end-to-end services and necessary technologies for the development of innovative Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The lab assists technopreneurs in accelerating market entry and maximising business performance through organised programmes in product upscaling, quality enhancement and branding. It offers an open but safe and controlled sandbox environment where innovation and experimentation on cutting-edge Big Data and Internet of Things (IoT)-related technologies can take place without the need for a big investment.

Internet of Things (IoT) is an area where Malaysia has “great ‘leapfrogging’ opportunities,” notes Raj, pointing to the national infrastructure and sectoral expertise that provides a platform for innovation. “We are building an entire ecosystem upon our platform,” he says, “promoting open source development framework, and working with the country’s regulator to allocate wireless spectrum.”

MIMOS is assisting the Malaysian government in implementing a National Internet of Things (IoT) Strategic Roadmap, which seeks to industrialise applications across several vertical industries including manufacturing and healthcare. Some initiatives are linked to sustainability: for example, an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network developed in collaboration with the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) that monitors acidity levels in the waters in Tasik Chini, a UNESCO-designated biosphere site located in the state of Pahang, which is endangered by nearby mining activities. But it is in agriculture where Raj sees particularly fertile ground for growth.

The strategy for agribusiness-centric Internet of Things (IoT) has a number of drivers. Firstly, farming and aquaculture are well-developed sectors, with the palm oil industry being a particular asset. Malaysia produces more than a third of the world’s palm oil and MIMOS is working with the industry players to use the Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled analytics for sustainable planting. Secondly, there are strong export-oriented adjacent industries such as electronics, manufacturing and logistics that can also be leveraged in the agribusiness value chain. And last but not least are Malaysia’s efforts to maintain food security and boost rural economic activity, where Raj notes that MIMOS is helping small-scale farmers to keep production costs low while increasing yields.

MIMOS is supporting eight or nine Internet of Things (IoT) agribusiness trials around the country. These include Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to monitor temperature, humidity and other growing conditions for Shitake mushroom farmers, and an Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled aquaculture management system to optimise fish farming outputs. MIMOS is now expanding these trials into a more holistic digital e-commerce value chain: over 80,000 farmers in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia currently sell their produce through a MIMOS-supported online ‘Agro-Bazaar.’ Raj considers the regional reach to be a cornerstone of success: “we need an Internet of Things (IoT) industry with scale—an ASEAN-wide opportunity is critical for the next phase of Malaysia’s Internet of Things (IoT) industry aspirations.”

Insightful reads brought to you in partnership with MIT Technology Review Insights.

The agriculture industry faces a variety of challenges such as climate change, low agriculture productivity and yield, high operating cost, and health hazards to farmers. Leveraging digital technologies, TM One Smart Agriculture solutions are opening a promising ability to address the industry’s long challenges through the Smart Farming revolution.

TM One Smart Agriculture offers a diverse set of solutions to help farmers adapt to technological advancement. One of the features is a centralised monitoring dashboard that is integrated into the IoT-powered machines, which enables farmers a holistic view of their entire machinery performances and crop conditions.

Watch this video and know more about how TM One Smart Agriculture solutions can provide more efficient and sustainable farming practices.

To learn more about TM One Smart Agriculture, Contact us here.

According to Technologist Dr. Saiyid Abdallah Syahir Al-Edrus, General Manager for Cybersecurity Services and Product & Innovation at TM One, every organisation has the responsibility to ensure that their cybersecurity strategies run in tandem with their business growth.

“Organisations are responsible to protect and safeguard their business and customer data from cybercriminals. They need to have the right tools, processes and above all the right people, a team of cyber-intelligence experts or security analysts, in place at all times.”

BusinessToday spoke to the industry expert who has over 15 years of experience in consulting, network security, endpoint security, cloud security, application & data security, and cybersecurity risk management, and who has leveraged his expertise to help organisations protect their businesses from the increasing challenge of cyber-attacks and threats.

He pointed out that many Malaysian organisations of all sizes and across all industries faced gaps between their perceived capabilities and their actual performance when it came to ensuring their cybersecurity strategies addressed the needs of their business.

“Organisations may believe that they have taken all the necessary steps to protect their data and systems, when they have not. This false sense of security has resulted in major global corporations and regional government agencies falling victim to massive security breaches.”

Dr. Saiyid also noted that organisations tended to become complacent. “Organisations often take for granted that they will not be the target for cyber-attacks, because they feel that they are not managing critical infrastructure and sensitive data. However, attackers will target any organisation that can provide them with a lucrative payoff.”

Lack of resources was a third factor, he added.

“Most organisations may not have the budget to invest in robust cybersecurity measures or the necessary expertise/personnel. Instead they often rely on general IT support. Unfortunately, cybersecurity itself encompasses a very huge spectrum and domain, for which you need specific skills, experience and knowledge.”

“Having an external partner that can provide professional and advisory services will help enterprises navigate and manage their cybersecurity strategy.”

Dr. Saiyid noted that while TM One, the enterprise and government sector arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad is fully capable of providing a complete outsourced cybersecurity service to its customers, his preferred approach involved a hybrid solution between organisations and their cybersecurity partner.

“Cybersecurity strategies must be based on the organisation’s needs and priorities. My recommendation would be that policies are governed in-house, where the client dictates and determines which security services are needed and cybersecurity framework the organisation should adopt.”

Shifting Resources Purposefully

Responding to an IDC Enterprise Services Sourcing Survey, which stated that over 70% of Malaysian organisations recognised that security is not their core expertise, Dr. Saiyid pointed out that this view stems from understandable reasons – cybersecurity is generally underfunded and under-resourced.

“Businesses are often challenged to find and retain the right talents to manage digitalisation, cybersecurity, and innovation within their organisations. IT departments are now expected to support new revenue streams, on top of managing operational efficiency and reducing cost. Business leaders find it difficult to understand the ROI of IT security, and are more focused on growing their digital revenue – especially in the wake of COVID-19.”

As a result, meeting the need to secure these digital platforms can weigh on businesses’ priorities, requiring them to divert limited budgets and resources from opportunities to risk avoidance, Dr. Saiyid highlighted.

“In large organisations, managing cybersecurity efficiently requires a significant amount of resources and effort. Aside from the need to secure a well-equipped and complex IT environment, setting up a dedicated team means organisations need to invest in the technology and put together the security controls for the entirety of their IT environment. This can prove difficult as there is a marked scarcity of cybersecurity professionals, not only in Malaysia but internationally.”

With these realities, individual organisations should decide whether they want to outsource a certain portion of their cybersecurity responsibility or outsource the whole function.

“For instance, they can choose to retain identity management, which is the heart of IT operations and sits with Active Directory and domain controllers, while the rest, such as perimeter security, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, or the 24/7 monitoring of the overall environment can be outsourced to the experts, like TM One.”

Service providers such as TM One can also provide organisations with round-the-clock protection, ensuring that their systems are always safe and secure. Furthermore, outsourcing cybersecurity can help organisations free up their internal resources so that they can focus on other areas of business.

TM One’s Professional Services supports organisations to assess their cybersecurity capabilities, and provides consulting and advisory services to help them strengthen their capabilities to respond to potential threats.

Specifically, TM One’s Cyber Defence Centre (CYDEC) is an end-to-end cybersecurity service which includes cybersecurity consulting or professional services to guide organisations carve out the best cybersecurity solutions that fit their needs and budget.

Through continuous support from TM One’s Security Operations Centre (SOC) and CyberAssurance services, organisations can benefit from managed security services to discover and address potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities, leverage solutions that help strengthen the readiness of in-house security teams, test systems to identify exploitable gaps, and monitor their broader business ecosystem to detect attacks or indicators of compromised systems and data more efficiently.

This includes Security Posture Assessment (SPA), Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services and Digital Attack Simulation either as a one-time engagement or a retainer programme.

Organisations who are interested to learn more about how TM One can help enhance their cybersecurity profile can visit its website at https://www.tmone.com.my/solutions/cybersecurity-services/.

This article was first published in Business Today