Walmart has entered into a strategic partnership with Agritask, a leading provider of crop supply intelligence. Facilitated through Walmart Global Tech’s Sparkubate program, this collaboration aims to enhance decision-making for sourcing managers responsible for seasonal fruit crop yields of cherries and blackberries. The initiative is designed to ensure a consistent supply of fresh produce, minimize food waste, and maintain high customer availability. Walmart may consider expanding Agritask’s technology to a broader scope depending on the pilot’s success.
The pilot will utilize Agritask’s remote sensing and data analytics tools to monitor crop conditions across selected regions in the U.S. and Mexico. These tools will provide real-time, hyperlocal insights on blackberry and cherry crops supplied to Walmart. These fruits were specifically chosen due to their susceptibility to environmental factors such as temperature and moisture variations, which can significantly influence their growth, quality, and shelf life. With real-time monitoring, Walmart and Agritask can swiftly address adverse environmental conditions, manage supply more effectively, and improve produce quality.
The collaboration will deliver several key benefits through its advanced data tools:
Kyle Carlyle, Walmart’s Vice President of Sourcing Innovation and Surety of Supply, highlighted the significance of this partnership: “Dealing with challenges in purchasing and planning accuracy in agriculture due to data discrepancies and environmental uncertainties can be tough. Agritask’s technology has the potential to fill vital information gaps that sourcing managers often face when predicting yield. Teaming up with Agritask enables Walmart to delve into more streamlined and sustainable sourcing practices, ensuring we consistently deliver fresh, high-quality products to meet customer demand.”
Ofir Ardon, CEO of Agritask, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration: “Walmart’s global scale and commitment to strengthening sustainable supply chains makes them the ideal partner for Agritask’s tech solutions. We are thrilled to have Walmart become the first retail partner to integrate Yield Intelligence, adopting our data-driven innovation built on 15 years of optimizing agricultural supply chains to reshape how enterprises collaborate with suppliers. Together, we are uniquely positioned to implement scalable, climate-smart and risk-ready solutions that optimize sourcing from the ground up.”
This pilot program with Agritask represents Walmart’s ongoing efforts to integrate technology into its supply chain for greater sustainability and resilience. Walmart has a history of pioneering tech partnerships to innovate within its supply chain, including initiatives with Unspun’s 3D weaving technology and Rubi Laboratory’s carbon capture solutions.
