App to boost farm incomes and protect forests

The US software giant is working with the Earth Net Foundation and Betimes Solutions to provide the internal control system (ICS) application, which is expected to cover 20,000 rai (3,200 hectares) of watershed forests and support more than 1,000 farm households in the Northern region within the next 10 years.
Theerasit Amornsaensuk, vice president of the Earth Net Foundation, a non-profit organisation, said the ICS was a cloud-based app built on Microsoft Azure App services that digitises the foundation’s data collection and inspection processes. 
It will also create value by supporting organic farming through the use of digitised data collection with cloud technology, while saving time and reducing costs in the inspection process and applying Internet of Things technology to support agricultural management, Theerasit said. 
The partners have provided the ICS app to more than 350 households engaged in organic farming in nine villages. They are rehabilitating the forests that cover 8,000 rai in the watershed forests in the Khun Chae National Park and Kok River areas. Coffee is among the crops being produced by these farmers.
The app will help to collect and analyse data via cloud-based technology. It is hoped that as a result, the ICS will enable farmers to use innovative technology to improve their crops and their quality of life. The technology will enable farmers to earn more from the organic crops, which also include avocados and macadamias. 
Sondthaya Sudhamasapa, business development director of Betimes Solutions, which developed ICS, said the app allowed people to input secure data into their smartphones or tablets. Data is then transferred to the Microsoft Public Cloud, where it can be shared throughout the stages of the organic farming process. The app will help farmers optimise their yield and produce quality organic products in a sustainable way.
Dhanawat Suthumpun, general manager of Microsoft Thailand, said that under the collaboration, the company provided the free use of Microsoft Azure to support the foundation and the farmers it helps. The firm has donated software worth more than Bt70 million to support more than 430 Thai non-profit organisations in becoming more productive.
Vunnaporn Devahastin na Ayutthaya, secretary-general of the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, said the ICS would increase the capacity of agricultural businesses with the aid of technology, which will boost the competitiveness of the country in the global market. 
Theerasit added that the 10-year collaboration, which began last year, ultimately would aid in the preservation of more than 20,000 rai of watershed forests, while benefiting more than 1,000 farm households.