Communication Management Device, Matching Device, Their Methods, and Programs

Abstract

Provided are: a credit management device capable of using an evaluation of a currently grown crop for credit management; a matching device therefor; and methods and programs for the devices. A credit management device 110 is provided with: a producer information management unit 111 that manages producer ID and registration range information associated with the producer ID; an image management unit 112 that manages a field image acquired in association with the producer ID via a communication network and attached positional information linked to the field image; an image determination unit 113 that, on the basis of the field image and the attached positional information, recognizes a crop from the field image and determines the growing state of the recognized crop; an evaluated price calculation unit 114 that calculates an evaluated price derived from the determination result; and a scoring unit 115 that quantitatively scores a credit associated with the producer ID by using the evaluated price as one factor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a credit management device, a matching device related thereto, methods thereof, and programs.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system for credit management based on information obtained using a communication network has been known. For example, the device described in Patent Document 1 receives and evaluates inputs of detailed information on agricultural and marine products serving as collateral, the types of agricultural and marine products, the presence or absence of ownership of the harvested agricultural and marine products, their estimated sales amounts, the availability of transfer of security, and the availability of account management. Examples of the detailed information on agricultural and marine products include the place where the agricultural and marine products are acquired, the area, the number of business years, and the loan balance such as facilities, and examples of the types of agricultural and marine products include crops, livestock products, and cultured fish.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when engaging in agriculture, financing is often required for borrowing farming machinery or purchasing seeds during the planting season, and credit management regarding such financing cannot be performed only after the harvest of the crops. Also, for agriculture, the growing period from planting to harvest is longer than the period during which the harvested crops are in circulation, and credit management during the growing period is important.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a credit management device that can utilize the evaluation of growing crops for credit management, a matching device related thereto, methods thereof, and programs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the credit management device of the present invention includes a producer information management unit that manages a producer ID and registration range information associated with the producer ID, an image management unit that manages a field image acquired via a communication network in association with the producer ID and attached position information associated with the field image, an image determination unit that recognizes crops from the field image and determines the growth state of the recognized crops based on the field image and the attached position information, an evaluation amount calculation unit that calculates an evaluation amount derived from the result of the determination, and a scoring unit that quantitatively scores the credit associated with the producer ID using the evaluation amount as one factor.

[0007] In this way, by determining the growth state of crops through image recognition and quantitatively scoring the credit, the evaluation of the growing crops can be used for credit management. As a result, the automation of credit management without human intervention can be realized, and in countries where the finance in the agricultural field is not sufficiently developed, small-scale producers can easily receive appropriate financing.

[0008] Further, the matching device of the present invention includes a delivery contract management unit that manages, as delivery contract information, a collection location, a delivery location, and the quantity of goods to be delivered for each delivery contract, a transporter information management unit that manages, as transporter information, the loadable quantity and the moving time for each transporter, a transport condition determination unit that determines the success or failure of matching for each combination of the managed delivery contract information and the transporter information, a transport information specifying unit that specifies, based on the combination determined to be successful in the matching, the moving route of the transporter and the transport contract associated with the moving route for the transporter information, and a transport contract confirmation unit that confirms the presence or absence of commitment to the moving route and the transport contract at the registered contact of the contractor of the delivery contract and also confirms the presence or absence of commitment to the transport contract at the registered contact of the transporter.

[0009] By matching the information for each delivery contract with the information for each transporter, many-to-many matching becomes possible, and the profits of both the contractor and the transporter of the delivery contract can be increased.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, the evaluation of growing crops can be used for credit management.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components in each drawing, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0013] [Agriculture in Regions with Underdeveloped Finance and Circulation] In regions such as the Philippines where the infrastructure of finance and circulation is not sufficiently developed, producers (crop producers) have the following problems. (1) Despite the essential and continuous needs of producers, there are few opportunities for fundraising. (2) Brokers are squeezing profits during credit extension and commission. (3) There is no bank for executing agricultural finance.

[0014] For example, seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, etc. are required at the start of crop cultivation, but income is not generated until several months after the harvest. For instance, when operating a lettuce field, cultivation is carried out in 5 - 6 cycles per year, and income does not catch up with such a cycle. Producers have no channel to lease excellent agricultural machinery, and they can only borrow inferior agricultural machinery through brokers at high rental fees or cultivate with simple tools over a long period of time.

[0015] Even if producers want to use banks, banks require bank staff and their branch offices as a base in addition to credit management in the conventional business model. When small-scale producers are the target of financing, the amount of funds raised per person is small, so management costs exceeding profits occur. In addition, there is no methodology for managing agricultural finance credit. Also, in the case of agriculture, the climate risk is greater compared to businesses in other fields.

[0016] Therefore, currently, producers have no choice but to borrow money from brokers at high interest rates, purchase high-cost seeds, etc., and prepare for sowing. In this way, when starting agriculture, not only financing but also the purchase of land and crops are dominated by brokers at exploitative interest rates and fees. Also, there is no efficient wholesale route for distributing the harvested crops. Producers sell their crops to brokers at an unreasonably low price. The sold crops are purchased by consumers at an unreasonably high price after an inefficient distribution process. Such an exploitative environment is common not only in the Philippines but also in Southeast Asian and African countries in the sense that producers have few opportunities for financing and only have an inefficient and vulnerable food value chain. Such problems also occur similarly in other Southeast Asian and African countries.

[0017] The inventor of the present invention has repeatedly considered and come to the conclusion that the following new measures are necessary in supporting agriculture in regions where the infrastructure for conducting business is underdeveloped. (1) Solve the obstacles of banks and utilize fintech to meet the needs of producers. (2) Provide online financing opportunities for borrower producers, eliminating the need for large-scale infrastructure for banks. (3) Create a mechanism that enables direct transactions with demanders online.

[0018] Specifically, to implement these measures, it is effective to establish an agricultural bank using an agricultural support system that can be processed online. The agricultural bank can prepare loans for agriculture. For example, a revolving loan with a credit limit of 200 pesos per year and an annual interest rate of 20% can be cited. The loan may be discounted according to the repayment record and monitoring record. As described later, since crops can be sold through the agricultural support system, the agricultural bank can receive loan repayments based on the producer ID on the agricultural support system.

[0019] Based on on-demand information, the agricultural bank can predict the producer's cash flow and strengthen credit management. And, using the agricultural support system, it is also possible to directly match demanders (wholesalers, retailers, consumers) with producers so that producers can sell crops at market prices. In this way, opportunities for producers to participate in the market economy, improve their income, and develop the rural economy can be provided. Hereinafter, the agricultural support system and the credit management device and matching device included therein will be described.

[0020] [Overview of the Agricultural Support System] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall agriculture business. In the example of FIG. 1, the agricultural support system of the present invention is partially applied. FIG. 1 mainly shows transactions with each player (business operator or organization), and the agricultural support system does not appear in the figure but functions behind the scenes.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, producers include landowners and tenant farmers who do not own land. At the stage when a producer starts cultivation, it is necessary to rent agricultural equipment and purchase seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides. At that time, agricultural equipment and the like are provided from a provider through a broker, and it is necessary to pay the broker a fee with a margin added to the cost. Furthermore, a tenant farmer pays the broker a fee with a margin added to the original rent cost and rents the land.

[0022] Thus, for producers, the processes from farming to sowing are the most costly, and it is preferable for producers and brokers to obtain financing from an agricultural bank. In that case, the agricultural support system of the present invention can be used. In the agricultural support system, an online financial channel for producers is formed as an agricultural bank system. As a result, the bank can operate without heavy infrastructure. It may be possible to assign representatives of each village as agents, and the agents may open bank accounts on behalf of all producers in the village. In such a case, the distribution and collection of cash to producers are carried out through the agents. In the agricultural bank system, the cash balance of each producer is held only based on the records (ledger) of the agricultural bank.

[0023] In agricultural finance, the delinquency rate is considered to be essentially low. Furthermore, by forming a group of producers, the credit risk is reduced. According to a report by the World Bank on group vs. individual debt, evidence has been obtained that the delinquency rate is low in the long term from microfinance lending groups in the Philippines.

[0024] Producers can access the agricultural support system online from a terminal by themselves or through an agent, and can apply for financing and provide information for its execution. The producer who has received the financing conducts farming, sowing, growing, and harvesting of crops. Crops refer to all cultivated plants grown in fields. Representative crops include lettuce, rice ("parai (Tagalog)"), banana, corn, coconut, and sugarcane.

[0025] In addition, it is preferable for equipment providers and the like to obtain technical information and equipment from academic institutions and equipment manufacturers to improve the efficiency of the entire agriculture. Equipment providers and the like can receive notifications regarding training, seminars, equipment (tractors, combines, etc.), bazaars, etc. from the agricultural support system via their own terminals. It is preferable for the training to be executed via SNS.

[0026] On the other hand, at the stage where producers sell the harvested crops, in traditional transactions, the crops are provided to the demanders through buyers or brokers. Demanders include refiners, processors, retailers, and consumers of the crops. For producers, the sales amount based on the producer price is recorded, and the amount obtained by subtracting the commission of the buyer or broker from the sales amount becomes the gross profit. In traditional transactions, consumers purchase food at the consumer price from refiners, processors, and retailers, but when using the agricultural support system to conduct online matching between producers and demanders, consumers can also directly transact with producers.

[0027] The agricultural support system enables online matching of producers (such as farmers) and customers (refiners, processors, retailers, individuals, etc.). As a result, producers can sell their crops at the market price. Banks can evaluate and manage credit risks by predicting farmers' cash flows from the history of online matching and image recognition of crops. By recording the growth status of crops, it is also possible to inform consumers about who grows the crops and how. Such a mechanism can also contribute to building brands for producers' crops.

[0028] The agricultural support system executes the management of operations (product supply, customer information management, customer service, risk management) online. Therefore, it is not necessary to construct an initial infrastructure excluding IT. After the agricultural support system starts operation, the broker will once finish its role, but can also act as local staff with higher added value, that is, an agent. When using the agricultural support system, the buyer or broker can also receive financing from the agricultural bank.

[0029] [Configuration of Credit Management Device] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the credit management device 110. The agricultural support system 100 includes a credit management device 110 and an agricultural bank system 120 that are communicably connected to each other. In the following description, although examples divided by each device or system are described, each function may be integrated into one device. The credit management device 110 preserves and evaluates the credit of the producer. The agricultural bank system 120 can transfer money to the producer account 520 based on the producer ID. Also, the agricultural bank system 120 can receive deposits from the producer account 520.

[0030] The credit management device 110 includes a producer information management unit 111, an image management unit 112, an image determination unit 113, an evaluation amount calculation unit 114, and a scoring unit 115. The credit management device 110 is a processing device such as a PC equipped with a CPU and a memory, and each of the above units functions by executing software.

[0031] The producer information management unit 111 manages the producer ID (account information) and the registered range information associated with the producer ID. The producer information is transmitted from the producer terminal 510. The producer terminal 510 may be prepared for each individual producer or for an agent representing a plurality of producers.

[0032] The producer information management department 111 may manage credit information associated with the producer ID, loan information such as the presence or absence of unpaid amounts, period, interest, or repayment schedule. The producer information management department 111 can also manage information posted in association with one producer ID to another producer ID. Thereby, producers can exchange relevant information online, and an online community is formed. Note that not only producers who receive financing but also producers who only use the matching described later can exchange relevant information.

[0033] The field image management department 112 manages field images acquired via a communication network in association with the producer ID and the attached position information associated with the field images. The field image is preferably a satellite image determined by the registration range information. Thereby, an objective image showing the growth state of the crop can be easily obtained. The satellite image can be acquired, for example, from a satellite image server 600 of a public institution via a communication network.

[0034] The field image may be an image taken with a mobile terminal based on the producer ID. Thereby, it becomes possible to finely determine the growth state of the crop. Fine determination can also be performed by supplementing the satellite image with a captured image taken by the mobile terminal.

[0035] Note that an application for accessing the agricultural support system 100 (an application for using the agricultural support system 100, the same applies hereinafter) is installed in the mobile terminal owned by the producer, and image shooting guidance is provided by pressing the shooting button during the startup of the application. The application is preferably provided and managed online and can be downloaded for free by the mobile terminal. Note that the captured image is preferably restricted so that it cannot be tampered with by the application. Also, when the image to be captured becomes unclear due to camera shake, it is preferably restricted so that it cannot be captured or transmitted.

[0036] At the time of image shooting, it is determined on the spot whether the image to be shot satisfies a predetermined condition under which the crop can be recognized, and it is possible to display whether or not the crop shown on the screen satisfies the predetermined condition. GPS information is associated with the shot image and transmitted as a GPS-tagged image, and the credit management device 110 that has received the image also determines whether the crop shown in the shot image is growing in the field used by the producer based on the registered range information. The application preferably has a function of notifying the user to transmit images regularly.

[0037] The image management unit 112 preferably periodically acquires an image that meets a predetermined condition in association with the producer ID as a field image. Thereby, the image that can be used for the evaluation of the crop can be updated and the latest evaluation can be ensured. Monitoring can be enabled by the image management unit 112. For example, by periodically uploading GPS-tagged images, on-site monitoring can be minimized (minimization of on-site monitoring).

[0038] The image determination unit 113 recognizes the crop from the field image based on the field image and the attached position information, and determines the growth state of the recognized crop. It is preferable to use AI for the recognition of the crop. AI refers to analysis software using, for example, deep learning as a machine learning method using a neural network having an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer, and enables appropriate output for the input through learning using teacher data. By adding the evaluation of the growth state of each crop, the evaluation of the entire field becomes possible. The image determination unit 113 preferably also determines the quantity in addition to the growth state of the crop in order to improve the accuracy of the evaluation.

[0039] Regarding the above AI, it is preferable to perform on-site monitoring with the same quantity, quality, and reliability in advance and use the information as teacher data. By recognizing the images obtained via the communication network using this AI, off-site monitoring with on-site effects becomes possible. Note that the type of crop may be included in the information input by the user to the producer terminal 510 and transmitted to the agricultural support system 100, or may be determined by image recognition.

[0040] The evaluation amount calculation unit 114 calculates the evaluation amount derived from the result of the determination. For example, the evaluation amount calculation unit 114 calculates the sales amount based on the type of crop, the quantity of the crop, and the growth state of the crop. The evaluation amount can also be evaluated by incorporating other information, and it is also possible to calculate the amount of gross profit instead of the sales amount.

[0041] The scoring unit 115 quantitatively scores the credit associated with the producer ID using the evaluation amount as one factor. In this way, by determining the growth state and quantity of the crop by image recognition and quantitatively scoring the credit, the evaluation of the growing crop can be used for credit management. As a result, in countries where the finance in the agricultural field is not sufficiently developed, it is possible to make it easier for small-scale producers to receive appropriate financing.

[0042] The scoring unit 115 may also use factors such as the scale of the field, the type of crop, the history of earnings, the repayment history, age, etc. based on the producer information for scoring. In addition, information such as receipts and payment histories collected through the operation of the agricultural support system 100 may be used.

[0043] The scoring unit 115 preferably refers to the transaction information associated with the producer ID as an additional factor for scoring. Thereby, the transaction history of the producer can be reflected in the credit scoring, and credit management based on a comprehensive evaluation becomes possible. Specifically, based on the demand information and history information in the online matching at the time of buying and selling, the sales amount of each producer can be evaluated and scored.

[0044] [Method of Credit Management] (Overall Process) A method of credit management by the operation of the agricultural support system 100 configured as described above will be explained. FIG. 3 is a sequence chart showing the method of credit management. As shown in FIG. 3, first, the producer ID and the field range information are transmitted from the producer terminal 510 and registered in the agricultural support system 100 (step S101). The field range information is managed as registered range information in association with the producer ID.

[0045] Based on the information available based on the producer ID, the agricultural support system 100 evaluates the lending conditions such as the lending limit amount for the producer ID (step S102), and transmits the evaluation information to the producer terminal 510 (step S103). The producer determines the necessity of borrowing, conditions such as the required borrowing amount, etc. based on the received evaluation information. If borrowing is necessary, the producer makes a borrowing request from the producer terminal 510 to the agricultural support system 100 together with the information on the desired borrowing amount (step S104). The agricultural support system 100 checks whether the lending conditions are met, such as whether the desired borrowing amount exceeds the evaluated amount, determines whether borrowing is possible (step S105), and notifies the producer terminal of the determination result (step S106).

[0046] If it is determined that borrowing is not possible, the agricultural support system 100 returns to the standby state. If it is determined that borrowing is possible, financing is executed to the producer account 520 (step S107). For the purpose of credit security for the executed financing and credit for future financing, monitoring is performed (step S108). Details of the monitoring will be described later. It is preferable to perform the monitoring continuously. The agricultural support system 100 evaluates the credit risk using the monitoring result (step S109), and notifies the person in charge of the agricultural bank of the evaluation result. As long as there are no problems in the evaluation, the financing continues, the producer pays the interest to the agricultural bank, and the agricultural support system 100 recovers the financing amount at an appropriate time (step S110).

[0047] (Monitoring) Among the steps of the above method, monitoring will be described. Monitoring is basically performed using satellite images showing the producer's fields. Figures 4(a) and (b) are diagrams showing examples of zoomed-out and zoomed-in satellite images of a specific producer's field, respectively. The agricultural support system 100 can identify the sections of the producer's fields in the image from the zoomed-out satellite image as shown in Figure 4(a) and the corresponding position information based on the registered range information corresponding to the producer ID.

[0048] In addition, the agricultural support system inputs the zoomed-in image of the producer's field as shown in Figure 4(b) into the AI and can determine the quantity of crops and the growth status of the crops. The growth status of the crops can be evaluated, for example, for each individual in three patterns: (A) good, (B) poor growth, and (C) pest damage. For example, among the above (A) to (C), detecting the abnormalities of (B) to (C) is important for the evaluation of the credit risk. Note that the growth status may be evaluated up to the growth stage. For example, since the risk decreases just before harvest compared to during growth, the evaluation can be made higher.

[0049] Monitoring is preferably performed using satellite images, but it may also be performed using images taken by the user with a mobile terminal. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image taken by the producer's communication terminal. The conditions for the captured images to be used are that they are generally taken from the height of a human eye level, the entire field is captured, and each individual can be distinguished. When the conditions are met, it is preferable to notify the user from the application running on the mobile terminal. When the field is large, it is necessary to cover the entire field by taking multiple shots.

[0050] [Configuration of the Matching Device] The agricultural support system 100 can also perform matching for product sales and delivery consignment. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the matching device 130. The agricultural support system 100 includes the matching device 130.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the matching device 130 includes a sales information management unit 131, a price calculation unit 132, a condition presentation unit 133, a contract conclusion determination unit 134, a delivery contract management unit 135, a transporter information management unit 136, a transportation condition determination unit 137, a transportation information identification unit 138, and a transportation contract confirmation unit 139. The matching device 130 is a processing device such as a PC equipped with a CPU and a memory, and each of the above units functions by executing software.

[0052] The sales information management unit 131 acquires sales wish information including the type and sales volume of products acquired from the seller terminal, or purchase wish information including the type and purchase volume of products acquired from the purchaser terminal. For example, the seller is a producer or a broker, and the purchaser is a buyer, a supermarket, or a consumer.

[0053] The price calculation unit 132 calculates a trading price for the sales wish information or the purchase wish information. Information including the sales wish price and the purchase wish price may be presented to provide a reasonable price. Thereby, prices different according to types such as crops are set, and products to be delivered can be traded online.

[0054] When the product is a crop, the price calculation unit 132 preferably causes the AI to calculate the price according to the reference information at the time of calculating the trading price (dynamic pricing). The trading price may be specified in the form of a range, leaving the discretion of price determination to the seller or the purchaser. Also, conditions may be imposed to guarantee the farm gate price as the lower limit. Specifically, the farm gate price refers to the price of crops sold by the producer.

[0055] The reference information includes information on the price history and climate history of the product type. These information can be collected from the cloud using a communication network. Thereby, the price of the crop can be calculated by dynamic pricing with reference to the climate. The climate history includes temperature, sunshine hours, and precipitation. The reference information may include the futures price of the product.

[0056] The reference information preferably includes information determined by the origin of the product. This enables the calculation of the crop price according to the circumstances of the origin. The information determined by the origin of the product includes the planting information of each village, the most recent collection information (sample points), the consumer price, and the producer selling price.

[0057] The condition presentation unit 133 presents the contract conditions including the trading price in response to a request from the purchaser terminal or the seller terminal. For example, when there is a request from the purchaser terminal, the agricultural support system 100 notifies the purchaser terminal of the producer information, the selling intention information, and the trading price and presents the contract conditions. The purchaser can confirm and purchase the producer who wishes to sell the crop online. When there is a request from the seller terminal, the purchaser information, the purchase intention information, and the trading price are notified to the seller terminal and the contract conditions are presented. As a result, the producer can confirm and sell the purchaser of his crop online.

[0058] The conclusion determination unit 134 determines whether the contract conditions have been accepted from the purchaser terminal or the seller terminal. Taking the conclusion as an opportunity, the Agricultural Bank can provide services related to the purchase. The fee for the Agricultural Bank can be expected to be about 10% or more of the trading price. When the contract is established, the producer can receive the sales proceeds online or repay the loan, and the crop is physically delivered through the agent. By matching the producer (farmer) with the customer online in this way, the benefits of the market economy are brought to the producer.

[0059] The delivery contract management unit 135 manages the delivery contract information for the contract established by accepting the contract conditions. The management is performed for each delivery contract, and the collection location, the delivery location, and the quantity of the product to be delivered are included in the delivery contract information. The delivery contract information may be specified along with the sales contract, or may be specified, for example, by being designated by any of the contractors.

[0060] The transporter information management unit 136 manages the loadable quantity for each transporter as transporter information. The information to be managed may include information on transport vehicles such as trucks, jeepneys (shared taxis), tricycles (three-wheeled vehicles), etc., and the pattern of transport routes. The transporter information management unit 136 preferably manages the departure and arrival locations for each transporter as transporter information. Thereby, new transport contracts can be efficiently added for transporters with determined departure and arrival locations, and the income of the transporters can be improved. Note that the delivery contract information may include the delivery time, and the transporter information may include the travel time. For example, when delivering highly perishable goods such as rice, specifying the time and its matching are beneficial, whereas when it becomes necessary to deliver non-preservable goods such as fresh food, immediate matching is required, so the effect of specifying the time and its matching is not high. Also, the delivery contract information may include the type of goods. Since there is an appropriateness of the type of transport vehicle for the type of goods, finer matching becomes possible.

[0061] The transport condition determination unit 137 determines the success or failure of matching for each combination of the managed delivery contract information and transporter information. By thus matching the information for each delivery contract and the information for each transporter, many-to-many matching becomes possible, and the profits of both the contractors and transporters of the delivery contracts can be increased. In matching, it is preferable to automatically calculate the optimal combination of transports considering the transport order.

[0062] The transport information specifying unit 138 specifies the transporter's movement route and the transport contracts associated with the movement route for the transporter information based on the combinations determined to be successful in the matching. When specifying the movement route, it is preferable to show the shortest route considering traffic congestion.

[0063] The transportation contract confirmation unit 139 preferably confirms the transportation route and the presence or absence of acceptance of the transportation contract with the registered contact of the contractor of the delivery contract, and also confirms the presence or absence of acceptance of the transportation contract with the registered contact of the transporter. Note that the contractor of the delivery contract is the consignor of transportation and is basically the seller of the goods, but may also be the purchaser. With the agricultural support system 100 configured as described above, the transporter can receive a new transportation request at the destination without having to return with an empty load.

[0064] [Method of Matching for Commodity Sales] A method of matching for commodity sales by the operation of the agricultural support system 100 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence chart showing the method of matching for commodity sales. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the conditions are presented from the seller side, but they may also be presented from the purchaser side.

[0065] In the example shown in FIG. 7, first, the seller terminal 710 notifies the agricultural support system 100 of the variety and quantity of the crops to be sold by the input of the seller (step S201). The agricultural support system 100 calculates the price by dynamic pricing based on the acquired information (step S202). The desired conditions including the price may be notified to the other party from at least one of the seller and the purchaser, and a reasonable price may be calculated based on the desired conditions.

[0066] The agricultural support system 100 accumulates the sales information together with the calculated price (step S203), and when a request for information provision is received from the purchaser terminal 800 (step S204), presents it to the purchaser terminal 800 as sales information (step S205). The purchaser determines the purchase target from a plurality of conditions displayed on the screen of the purchaser terminal 800, and the purchaser terminal 800 transmits the payment conditions, delivery destination information, etc. of the purchaser (step S206). The agricultural support system 100 determines whether or not acceptance of the contract conditions has been received from the purchaser terminal or the seller terminal (step S207), determines that a contract has been concluded when acceptance has been received, and notifies the seller terminal 710 of the conclusion of the contract (step S208).

[0067] The agricultural support system 100 checks the payment from the purchaser (step S209). If the payment can be confirmed, it deposits the amount based on the seller's price into the seller's account 720 (step S210). After the sales steps are completed, it stores the delivery information (step S211). The delivery information stored in this way is preferably used in the matching of transportation consignments.

[0068] In the above embodiment, one of the seller and the purchaser selects the conditions to be approved for the conditions presented by the other. However, a plurality of sellers and a plurality of purchasers may simultaneously present their desired conditions including the price to the agricultural support system, and based on this, the agricultural support system may automatically match the two parties.

[0069] [Method for Matching Transportation Consignments] (Overall Process) A method for matching transportation consignments by the operation of the agricultural support system 100 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence chart showing the method for matching transportation consignments. In the example shown in FIG. 8, first, the transporter terminal 900 transmits transporter information to the agricultural support system 100 (step S301). The agricultural support system 100 performs matching between the contract information of the delivery contracts already accumulated and the transporter information (step S302), and calculates the route for each combination of transportation contracts (contract candidates) obtained by the matching (step S303). It is preferable to use AI for the calculation of the route. The details of the calculation of the transportation route will be described later.

[0070] The agricultural support system 100 transmits the contract and route candidates obtained in this way to the transporter terminal 900 and asks for approval (step S304). The transporter terminal 900 transmits the approval information for the contract and route candidates selected by the transporter to the agricultural support system 100 (step S305).

[0071] The agricultural support system 100 inquires whether there is consent to the seller terminal 710 regarding the candidates for the contract for which consent has been obtained (step S306). If there is an input of consent, the seller terminal 710 transmits the consent information to the agricultural support system 100 (step S307), the transportation contract is concluded, and the transportation route is specified. In this way, the matching of the transportation consignment is completed.

[0072] In the above example, consent has been obtained in all cases. However, if the transporter does not give consent, the process returns to step S302 and the matching can be restarted. Also, if consent from the seller is not obtained, the process returns to step S304 and the transporter can select candidates again.

[0073] Also, in the above example, consent is being inquired in the order from the transporter to the seller, but the order may be reversed. Also, since the confirmation to the delivery contractor may be made to only one of the contractors, the inquiry destination may be the purchaser terminal 800 instead of the seller terminal 710.

[0074] For the service of matching the transportation consignment as described above, it is efficient for the operator of the agricultural support system 100 to collect a certain amount and provide it. In that case, the agricultural bank or the producer can accurately know the intermediate costs that were previously unknown.

[0075] (Hypothetical example) As a specific example, a case where it is necessary to deliver crops from the seller F1 to the purchaser R1 is verified as a hypothetical example. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the outline of the hypothetical example. When the agricultural support system 100 is not used, the seller F1 places a delivery order with the frequently used truck transporter D0. It is necessary to wait for the period until the transporter D0 becomes available (for example, two days). Also, the transporter D0 follows a route known only to itself and often does not take the shortest route, and there is also a risk of being frequently involved in severe traffic jams. Basically, since transportation is carried out for each consignment, it often returns to the departure point with an empty load, which is inefficient.

[0076] When using the agricultural support system 100, for example, it can be seen that three tricycle transporters D1 to D3 are immediately available. The agricultural support system 100 can find the shortest routes for each of the transporters D1 to D3 to avoid traffic jams and propose them to the transporters D1 to D3, the seller F1, and the purchaser R1. Also, even when the quantity of crops to be delivered is large, it is possible to share the transportation among the transporters D1 to D3. The transporters D1 to D3 can also receive new delivery requests at the destination.

[0077] (Calculation of transportation route) FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the calculation of a transportation route. FIGS. 11(a) to (c) are diagrams showing two routes frequently used by transporters and the routes specified by the agricultural support system. FIGS. 12(a) to (c) are diagrams showing information on the patterns of the transportation routes, transportation request information, and transportation condition information to be recorded respectively.

[0078] First, the patterns of the transportation routes when the transporters D1 to D2 receive requests from their respective sellers F1 to F4 and transport to the purchaser R1 are registered in the agricultural support system 100 in advance (step S401). Examples of the patterns of the transportation routes include the pattern shown in FIG. 11(a) when requests are received from the sellers F1 to F3 and the pattern shown in FIG. 11(b) when requests are received from the sellers F1 to F2 and F4.

[0079] The agricultural support system 100 receives and registers the transportation request information for each date and time from sellers F1 to F4 (step S402). The agricultural support system 100 receives and registers the conditions including the transportable date and time from the transporter (step S403). The agricultural support system 100 calculates the optimal route using AI with the pattern, transportation request information, and transportation conditions as input information (step S404). For example, the route shown in FIG. 11(c) is calculated as the transportation route when there is a request from sellers F1 to F4. In this way, the accumulated transportation information can be used for calculating the transportation route. Note that as the criteria representing the quantity of the goods and the loadable quantity included in the transportation request information and the transportation information, weight can be used, volume can also be used, or both can be used. For example, matching can be performed based on whether the requested weight or volume is within the allowable range with respect to the loadable weight and volume.

[0080] [Cargo guarantee method] The agricultural support system 100 can prove the preservation of the cargo. For example, the preservation of the cargo can be proved by image data. At the start of transportation, the transporter uses the transporter terminal 900 to take a picture of the situation where the seller loads the agricultural products onto the transport vehicle, and uploads the captured image data to the matching device 130 by an application launched on the transporter terminal 900. It is preferable that this image data can be confirmed by all related parties involved in the transportation, such as the seller, the transporter, and the purchaser (buyers such as markets and supermarkets). For example, the ID of this transportation can be associated with the IDs of each related party, and the image data can be placed in a state where it can be transmitted to the terminals of each related party in response to a browsing request from the ID of each related party.

[0081] When arriving at the destination, the transporter takes pictures of the agricultural products, which are the cargo, again with the transporter terminal 900, and uploads the image data to the matching device 130 by the application. This image data, as described above, can be viewed by all relevant parties. In this way, by making the image data at the time of departure and the image data at the time of arrival viewable by all relevant parties, it can be ensured that the cargo was transported in the same state as at the start of transportation. For example, if the transporter takes the cargo out without permission and the image data in the same state is not uploaded, the relevant parties will know.

[0082] [Screen display example] Regarding the above transportation, the screen display examples on the terminals of each user will be described. Figures 13(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the screen display examples of profile registration and transportation request on the seller terminal. As shown in Figure 13(a), the seller (producer) can register a profile through the application. For example, settings such as password, payment, image gallery, and policy can be made. Also, as shown in Figure 13(b), the seller can request transportation through the application. On the transportation request screen, the available transporters and the planned route are shown, and the seller can select the transporter they want to request.

[0083] Figures 14(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the screen display examples of profile registration and schedule registration on the transporter terminal. As shown in Figure 14(a), the transporter can register a profile through the application. For example, settings such as transporter information, password, and policy can be made. Also, as shown in Figure 13(b), the transporter can register the planned movement as transporter information through the application.

[0084] Figs. 15(a) to 15(c) are diagrams showing examples of the details of transportation, confirmation of the transportation status, and chat screen display on each terminal. As shown in Fig. 15(a), the user can confirm the date and time of transportation, departure location, destination, current location, transportation distance, and cost as details of transportation through the application. Also, as shown in Fig. 15(b), the user can confirm the actual departure location, destination, pickup time, distance, images of the transported goods at the time of loading and unloading, etc. as the transportation status through the application. Further, as shown in Fig. 15(c), the application enables chatting between users.

[0085] [Fund settlement method] (Basic fund settlement function) In the above matching of product sales or transportation consignment, it is preferable to manage all aspects of the commercial flow only by the agricultural support system 100 at the time of matching. However, such a method does not necessarily conform to the actual situation. When using the agricultural support system 100, it is preferable that fund settlement can also be carried out at a physical store that mediates the flow of funds.

[0086] For example, a two-dimensional barcode is displayed on the payer's terminal at the time of fund settlement through the application. This two-dimensional barcode is unique to each fund settlement and is associated with information (fund transferor, time, amount) that legally proves the fund settlement. This two-dimensional barcode is scanned with the receiving-side terminal that has launched the application. Thereby, information (fund transferor, time, amount) that legally proves the fund settlement and, together with the commitment of the fund transferor, is recorded on the agricultural support system 100, and the fund transfer is legally completed.

[0087] (Application examples of fund settlement) For example, a general store or the like that is popular locally in advance downloads the application as an intermediary. It is preferable that the application is provided free of charge so that the intermediary can download it without burden.

[0088] After the financing decision, the producer goes to the broker's store and receives funds from the store. At the same time, the producer presses the fund withdrawal button in the application. The application displays a two-dimensional barcode on the producer terminal 510, and the producer holds it in front of the terminal on the broker's store side where the application is launched.

[0089] The terminal on the store side reads the two-dimensional barcode, and the agricultural support system 100 records the fund transfer on the database, and the fund transfer is completed. The above method can be similarly applied to loan repayment, ride-sharing fare payment, etc.

[0090] Furthermore, it is preferable to connect to an existing local electronic money system or remittance network using an API so that users can perform fund settlement and remittance of other services using the application. For example, the potential credit risk is reduced for producers who fulfill deposit accumulation and loan maturity repayment. In such cases, by performing fund settlement and remittance of other services, it can be offset by exemption from other companies' electronic money and remittance fees, etc. This brings great benefits to both the operator side and the users of the agricultural support system 100.

[0091] [Differences before and after using the agricultural support system] The differences in the states before and after using the agricultural support system are explained from each perspective. Figures 16(a) and (b) are diagrams showing detailed examples of crop distribution when the agricultural support system is not used and when it is used, respectively. In the conventional distribution shown in Figure 16(a), the harvested crops are delivered to the regional or central market via a buyer or broker. The producer receives the gross profit as the amount obtained by subtracting the margin from the sales amount based on the producer price. The crops are purchased by the consumers from the retailers who purchase directly from the market or via a broker. The consumers purchase the crops at the consumer price, and the retailers or brokers receive the margin as a commission respectively.

[0092] On the one hand, in the example shown in Fig. 16(b), the producer can receive the support of the agricultural support system via the terminal operated by the agent and deliver the crops to the market using the delivery service provided by the transporter. Also, the delivery from the market to the consumer can be carried out using the delivery service provided by the transporter with the support of the agricultural support system. In this case, the transaction prices are the producer price and the consumer price respectively, and the costs for the margin will be incurred. Also, the producer and the consumer can receive financing from the agricultural bank by using the agricultural support system. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing the improvement of profit before and after using the agricultural support system for the model case. In the model case shown in Fig. 17, when the consumer price is set at 100 without using the agricultural support system, the farm gate price is 20, the profit of multiple intermediaries is 50, and the cost is 30. The income of the producer is low and the share of the intermediaries is high.

[0093] On the other hand, when using the agricultural support system, since the price guarantee framework can be applied, the farm gate price can be guaranteed at 40. Even if the profit of the agricultural bank is 20 and the cost is 30, the minimum consumer price will be 90. As for the actual price calculation order, first, the consumer price is predicted in the range of 90 - 110 in the form of dynamic pricing, and the farm gate price is calculated by subtracting the cost. The cost can be accurately calculated when the matching device for transportation commission is operating.

[0094] Thus, when the agricultural support system is applied to the above model case, it is estimated that the farm gate price will be 20 higher and the consumer price will be 10 lower compared to the case without application.

[0095] Figure 18 shows the changes in the income structure of producers before and after using the agricultural support system. The example shown in Figure 18 is a typical economic prediction of producers verified based on the actual cases of NGO AgriTech. "PHP" in the figure means the Philippine peso, the currency. Assuming that the cultivated area is fixed at 2 hectares, the use of the agricultural support system allows for the borrowing and use of highly efficient agricultural machinery, thus improving productivity and expecting a 20% increase in production volume. Also, due to the improvement in quality, an 11.11% increase in the selling price per unit is expected. Considering these together, a 33.33% increase in sales revenue is expected.

[0096] Among the costs, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, land rent, and labor costs remain unchanged before and after use. On the other hand, since transactions can be made only with the usage fee of the agricultural support system without going through a broker, the acquisition and sales commissions for crops are reduced by 96%. Also, since there is a rental fee for agricultural machinery, the cost increases accordingly. The total cost is expected to decrease by 25.78%. As a result, the combined income of both tenant producers and landowners increases by 75.24%. Before using the agricultural support system, 40% of the income is exploited by the landowner as handling fees. In contrast, after using the agricultural support system, the arrangement by the landowner becomes unnecessary due to the agricultural support system, and thus the exploitation disappears. As a result, the income of tenant producers is expected to increase by 192.06%.

[0097] In this way, it is expected that the income of producers will be improved by eliminating the increase in commissions to intermediaries, selling prices, and harvest volumes. It can be seen that the economy of producers is greatly improved by using the agricultural support system. Note that brokers are also expected to work in more valuable positions ("agents") or other roles in the food value chain in this program.

[0098] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-15589 filed on January 31, 2020, and incorporates the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-15589 into this international application.

Explanation of Signs

[0099] 100 Agricultural Support System 110 Credit Management Device 111 Producer Information Management Department 112 Image Management Department 113 Image Judgment Department 114 Evaluation Amount Calculation Department 115 Scoring Department 120 Agricultural Bank System 130 Matching Device 131 Buying and Selling Information Management Department 132 Price Calculation Department 133 Condition Presentation Department 134 Contract Conclusion Judgment Department 135 Delivery Contract Management Department 136 Transporter Information Management Department 137 Transportation Condition Judgment Department 138 Transportation Information Identification Department 139 Transportation Contract Confirmation Department 510 Producer Terminal 520 Producer Account 600 Satellite Image Server 710 Seller Terminal 720 Seller Account 800 Buyer Terminal 900 Transporter Terminal D0 - D3 Transporters F1 - F4 Sellers R1 Buyer

Claims

1. A credit management device that is communicably connected to an agricultural bank system and manages the credit of producers who have borrowed from the agricultural bank system, comprising: a producer information management unit that manages producer IDs and registration range information associated with the producer IDs; an image management unit that manages field images acquired via a communication network in association with the producer IDs and the registration range information, and attached position information associated with the field images, as monitoring of the producers' credit; an image determination unit that recognizes crops from the field images and determines the growth state and quantity indicating whether the recognized crops are growing smoothly, based on the field images and the attached position information; an evaluation amount calculation unit that calculates an evaluation amount derived from the registration range information and the result of the determination; a scoring unit that quantitatively scores the credit associated with the producer ID using the evaluation amount as one factor; and a credit management device, characterized in that, as a result of the monitoring, the quantitatively scored credit is notified to the agricultural bank system.

2. The credit management device according to claim 1, wherein the field image is a satellite image determined by the registration range information.

3. The credit management device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the field image is an image taken with a mobile terminal based on the producer ID.

4. The credit management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the scoring unit scores with reference to transaction information associated with the producer ID as a further factor.

5. The credit management device according to claim 2, wherein the image management unit periodically acquires an image that meets a predetermined condition in association with the producer ID as the field image.

6. A credit management method performed by a device communicably connected to an agricultural bank system, for managing the credit of producers who have borrowed from the agricultural bank system, comprising: a step of managing producer IDs and registration range information associated with the producer IDs; a step of managing field images acquired via a communication network in association with the producer IDs and the registration range information, and attached position information associated with the field images, as monitoring of the producers' credit; Based on the field image and the attached position information, recognizing crops from the field image, and determining the growth state and quantity indicating whether the recognized crops are growing smoothly or not; Calculating an evaluation amount derived from the registration range information and the result of the determination; Quantitatively scoring the credit associated with the producer ID using the evaluation amount as one factor; and As a result of the monitoring, notifying the quantitatively scored credit to the agricultural bank system, which is a method for credit management.

7. A credit management program executed by a device communicably connected to an agricultural bank system for managing the credit of a producer who has borrowed from the agricultural bank system, A process for managing the producer ID and the registration range information associated with the producer ID; As the monitoring of the producer's credit, a process for managing the field image acquired via a communication network in association with the producer ID and the registration range information, and the attached position information associated with the field image; Based on the field image and the attached position information, recognizing crops from the field image, and determining the growth state and quantity indicating whether the recognized crops are growing smoothly or not; Calculating an evaluation amount derived from the registration range information and the result of the determination; Causing a computer constituting the device to execute a process of quantitatively scoring the credit associated with the producer ID using the evaluation amount as one factor; As a result of the monitoring, notifying the quantitatively scored credit to the agricultural bank system, which is a credit management program.

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