New tech partnership to boost seaweed farming in SE Asia
Oceanfarmr and Coast 4C Collaborate to Advance Regenerative Seaweed Farming in Southeast Asia
Sydney, Australia, May 15, 2023: Oceanfarmr, a leading provider of ocean farm operations management solutions, and Coast 4C, a social enterprise focused on regenerative seaweed farming, are pleased to announce their collaboration in developing mobile technologies to enhance the livelihoods of small-scale seaweed producers in Southeast Asia.
Coast 4C is dedicated to building the world's largest supply chain of regenerative seaweed, with a strong focus on benefiting Communities, Commerce, Conservation, and Climate. With 500 registered farms supplying dried Eucheumatoid seaweed for the $1 billion Carrageenan market, Coast 4C not only provides marketing support but also offers farm start-up packages, disaster relief packages, and crucial research and development support on seaweed strains and production methods. Additionally, Coast 4C manages a network of 17 nurseries and actively promotes positive environmental impact through marine spatial planning and marine protected areas.
Oceanfarmr offers a comprehensive ocean farm operations management system, featuring smartphone and tablet apps along with web-based dashboards that provide visibility across ocean farms. The company has successfully developed automated farm management apps and farm finance solutions for Shellfish farming, which are already operational in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the USA.
The collaboration between Oceanfarmr and Coast 4C will primarily focus on developing technologies that expedite the improvement of farm operations performance, finance, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) monetisation for seaweed farmers. In the initial phase of this collaboration, efforts will be made to capture and verify seaweed conditions through the development of scoring methodologies based on photos and manager reviews. This will enable future implementation of AI scoring, facilitating more efficient and rapid data collection for Coast 4C's R&D program on seaweed strains and methods.
"We're thrilled to collaborate with Oceanfarmr to foster a sustainable and advanced seaweed industry. Traditionally, investment in the sector has primarily focused on product development and processing, leading to supply bottlenecks and sustainability concerns. Recognising the crucial role of small-scale producers, this collaboration aims to optimize operations, overcome challenges, and drive sustainable growth in the seaweed industry. By leveraging Oceanfarmr's technology, we can enhance efficiency, deliver effective solutions, and propel the sector towards a prosperous and eco-friendly future." - Nicholas Hill, PhD, Co-founder & CEO, Coast 4C
As part of the collaboration, Oceanfarmr will undertake the scoping and development of a scoring methodology to encode seaweed condition within the app. This methodology will serve as the foundation for an AI algorithm to be incorporated into the Oceanfarmr app in subsequent phases. Additionally, Oceanfarmr will explore, develop, test, and maintain customization and configuration options to enable the methodology and assess sensor data for quantity and quality analysis.
Coast 4C will manage and maintain nurseries and field sites, provide valuable input to develop seaweed condition scoring, and source seedstock of known haplotypes along with farming equipment/methods. The enterprise will also provide training for nursery managers, oversee implementation, report findings from field tests, and conduct basic carrageenan analysis and data analysis.
At the completion of each phase, both Coast 4C and Oceanfarmr will review the requirements for a farmer app aimed at enhancing farm operations performance, farm finance, and ESG monetization. The parties will also evaluate the outcomes achieved in the previous phase and outline the subsequent steps between the parties, potentially including the establishment of a joint venture.
"We are excited to collaborate with Coast 4C to develop technologies that will help small-scale seaweed producers in Southeast Asia improve their crop yields, financial security, and sustainability," said Ewan McAsh, CEO of Oceanfarmr. "This collaboration aligns with our mission to use technology to promote sustainable ocean farming and will help drive positive social and environmental impacts in the region."
To learn more about Coast 4C, please visit www.coast4c.com
