Technology meets farming: ‘Saai’ platform on WhatsApp to improve industry

Forget Siri and meet Saai, the first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence platform promising to change how technology meets farming.

Earlier this week Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) launched the world’s first WhatsApp-based artificial intelligence platform for farmers free of charge.

Features and uses

The Hi Saai platform is an all-in-one chat on WhatsApp with knowledgeable resources, advice and digital assistance in business and production planning, programming, marketing, science and farm management. TLU SA general manager Bennie van Zyl said he was keen to put the platform to the test.

“We have to be open-minded about developing new technologies because when we work with data, there is potential to improve,” he said.

Van Zyl congratulated Saai for the initiative and said TLU couldn’t wait to work with Saai to develop the platform.

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Improvement

“It will get better and better as we grow and add more information,” he said. Koos Nel from AgriX described the platform as a phenomenal invention. Nel said the platform would contribute to the farming sector in the long run.

“It already has a collection of information freely available that can help many farmers,” he said. Nel said the platform was good news considering all the challenges in the farming sector due to load shedding.

“We will only see the impact of the load shedding by next year. The farmers took the knock now, but at some point the costs will reach consumers,” he said.

Phase two of developing the platform

Free State-based cattle farmer Jakkels le Roux said he was eager to try out the new platform. Le Roux said: “It has all the information available on one platform.”

Saai chief executive Francois Rossouw said it took them two months to build the WhatsApp chat on top of the app.

“I asked Saai if I could grow starfruit in South Africa and the app replied that the better question was if it was enjoyable fruit, and then it gave the instructions,” he said.

Rossouw said phase two of developing the platform would see it offer more information.

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