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The retailer is partnering with agtech firm Agritask to get real-time information from blackberry and cherry farms.
Walmart is pioneering a groundbreaking initiative with Agritask to tackle food waste and ensure fresher produce for customers while enhancing supply chain management. This first-of-its-kind project provides sourcing managers with vital insights into factors affecting seasonal crops, particularly climate-related disruptions. A recent Everstream Analytics report highlights extreme weather as the top supply chain risk for 2024.
According to the USDA, 30% of food loss occurs during agricultural production and harvest, with weather, disease, and pests being major culprits. Unpredictable weather alone significantly drives food loss.
Kyle Carlyle, Walmart’s VP of Sourcing Innovation, emphasized, "This pilot offers innovative solutions to address climate change and improve industry sustainability. Amid changing weather patterns, these technologies help us adjust sourcing strategies, ensuring product availability and quality."
Cherries and blackberries, chosen for the pilot, are highly sensitive to temperature and moisture fluctuations. The gathered data could alert managers to unexpected frost or harvesting delays, impacting inventory.
Carlyle added, "Agritask’s technology can fill crucial information gaps that sourcing managers face when predicting yield."
Agritask, an Israel-based company, presents its tech as a scalable, climate-smart solution backed by 15 years of agricultural insights. This pilot, part of Walmart Global Tech
’s Sparkubate program, might lead to broader use of Agritask solutions if successful.
This initiative joins Walmart’s growing portfolio of tech-driven supply chain projects, including a 3-D weaving tech pilot with Unspun and a carbon capture project with Rubi Laboratories.
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