Australian berry and table grape growers embrace innovative labour technologies

Australian berry and table grape growers are set to enhance productivity through the introduction of innovative labour-focused technologies. This development is part of a $9 million initiative delivered through Hort Innovation’s Frontiers investment programme, which aims to transform farming practices in these sectors. The programme is currently collaborating with leading technology providers, including Clarifruit and Think Digital, to integrate advancements such as virtual reality training for pickers, motion-detecting wearables to assess performance, and real-time quality-assessment cameras.

Brett Fifield, the chief executive officer of Hort Innovation, highlighted the significance of the programme, stating that it exemplifies collaboration between grower-owned research and development corporations and top-tier partners to bring innovative solutions to Australian farmers. “Through this transformational program, we are connecting local growers with the latest tech from here and across the world to enhance production and safeguard supply,” Mr Fifield mentioned.

The purpose of the initiative is multifaceted: it aims to reduce farm waste through adept fruit picking, automate quality control processes, improve training, provide real-time data solutions for informed decision-making, and ultimately increase labour productivity. The programme will deploy two primary types of technology within the berry and table grape sectors: augmented, virtual, and mixed reality innovations, including augmented reality headsets and tailored smartphone applications, alongside artificial intelligence, particularly machine learning models for real-time image processing and data interpretation.

Elad Mardix, chief executive officer of Clarifruit, expressed the aspirations of the partnership by stating, “Clarifruit is proud to bring the world’s first AI-powered quality control software for the fresh produce industry to Australian berry and table grape growers.” He underscored the potential impact of this technology, which aims to standardise fruit quality evaluation across the fresh produce supply chain, effectively reducing rejections and waste. Mr Mardix elaborated that this investment will facilitate the automation of quality control procedures using AI and augmented reality technologies, accelerating the process of detecting external quality attributes in real-time.

Tim Gentle, founder of Think Digital, discussed the role of technology in bolstering human performance. He mentioned, “Think Digital are partnering with growers and agronomists to identify what data and information are essential for real-time decision-making.” His focus on developing an augmented reality data visualisation tool is intended to streamline decision-making processes, enhance human capabilities, and improve the understanding of complex data.

Burlington Berries general manager Laurie Adams shared insight into how the research under this programme could influence the industry. “Through this program, our industry will get insight into how adopting new labour technology can increase our productivity, boost our team culture, reduce labour costs and bring wide-ranging benefits to our businesses,” he noted. Mr Adams concluded with optimistic expectations regarding the anticipated impacts of technology implementation, describing it as a potential game-changer for the industry.

As the initiative progresses, its influence on Australia’s berry and table grape growers is poised to reshape business practices and operational efficiencies significantly.

Source: Noah Wire Services