Cargill initiates water-saving pilot for cotton fields
US crop and food group Cargill is partnering Australian company Goanna Ag on a pilot focused on improving irrigation efficiency in cotton fields in the Mississippi Delta.
The project will introduce a technology that aims to transform how and when farmers water their fields, optimising crop yields, reducing water withdrawals and lowering operational costs, said the companies.
Matt Dunbar, managing director of Cargill’s cotton business, said: “Major retail brands have set goals related to water and are increasingly looking to supply chain partners like Cargill for data-backed sustainability solutions.”
The technology provided by Goanna Ag, an irrigation management company operating in Australia and the US, uses field sensors, satellite imagery, weather forecasts and crop data to enable precise irrigation, it said.
Cargill has reported a 10% decline in fiscal 2024 revenues to $160 billion, driven by high global crop supplies.
However, the group had enjoyed record profits in preceding years, according to Bloomberg, benefiting from pandemic-driven volatility and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
