Kakuzi is accelerating its adoption of agricultural technology to improve productivity and build resilience against increasingly unpredictable weather patterns.
The company has established a Digital Agricultural Transformation Department to lead the deployment of technology across its operations, with a dedicated manager set to oversee the unit.
Managing director, Chris Flowers, said the initiative would help accelerate the company’s shift towards climate-smart agriculture.
Kakuzi, which is engaged in cultivating, processing and marketing avocados, blueberries, macadamia, tea, livestock and commercial forestry, is deploying artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to improve decision-making and operational performance.
The push comes as the company seeks to reduce the exposure of its farming operations to changing climatic conditions.
The company has deployed an AI-powered optical sorting system at its macadamia processing plant, where the technology automates the grading of nuts and is intended to improve production quality.
“The Kakuzi Ag-Tech journey is firmly on course,” Flowers said, adding that the company was embedding sustainability initiatives and resilient agronomy practices across its operations.
“As we face more and more uncertainty and unpredictability in our traditional climatic patterns, it is essential that agriculture adapts and adopts new technology,” Flowers said.
The company is also rolling out further Ag-Tech tools in the field, alongside enhanced drone-based security surveillance systems.
