Software defined farming

Abstract

A software-defined farming (SDF) system provides an open, interoperable agricultural technology platform that decouples farm management applications from underlying hardware infrastructure. The system comprises a centralized data management framework configured to store collected agricultural data with customizable ownership and access permissions controlled by farmers, and an orchestration engine supporting standardized APIs for an open application marketplace. The platform enables hardware agnosticism through standardized interfaces supporting any sensors and actuators, while providing edge-computing capabilities for localized processing and autonomous decision-making. The SDF system facilitates integration of heterogeneous agricultural components through modular architecture, supporting customizable deployment across farms of varying sizes while maintaining offline resilience and reducing operational costs compared to traditional proprietary AgTech platforms.

Description

[0001] SOFTWARE DEFINED FARMING

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of agriculture management, and more specifically to technology associated with the management of data and processing of information in an agricultural setting.

[0004] Background

[0005] Traditional agricultural technology (AgTech) systems are characterized by proprietary, vendor- controlled architectures that create significant challenges for farmers. These systems typically operate as closed ecosystems with rigid vendor lock-in, requiring certified hardware that limits farmers' choices and increases costs. Unlike open solutions, traditional AgTech platforms retain data ownership, often monetizing farmers' information through opaque policies that reduce farmer control and sovereignty over their own agricultural data.

[0006] These legacy systems are predominantly cloud-dependent with limited offline capabilities, creating vulnerabilities in rural areas with inconsistent connectivity. Traditional vendors offer monolithic solutions with complex interfaces that prioritize advanced analytics over farmerfriendly usability, while imposing high licensing costs that create barriers to scaling. Most conventional platforms operate as isolated silos - maintaining separate systems for irrigation, sowing, harvesting, and other farm operations - rather than providing integrated solutions that enable comprehensive farm management.

[0007] The limited customization options and closed APIs in traditional AgTech restrict farmers' ability to adapt systems to their specific needs or integrate with other solutions. This inflexibility, combined with the challenges of high acquisition costs and limited adaptability to rapidly changing climate and pest conditions, has created a market gap for more open, interoperable, and farmer-centric agricultural technology systems.

[0008] Brief Description of the Figures

[0009] Fig. 1 illustrates the cycle of smart farming data management.

[0010] Fig. 2 illustrates the shift from silos to an open integrated platform.

[0011] Fig. 3 illustrates four quadrants of solutions based on operating costs and legacy vs. commodity systems.

[0012] Fig. 4 illustrates comparisons between a traditional approach and an open integrated platform.

[0013] Detailed Description

[0014] Software-Defined Farming (SDF) is a transformative architecture designed for the next generation of agriculture. Developed from the ground up within farming cooperatives, SDF breaks free from proprietary constraints to offer farmers an open, interoperable, and adaptable framework.

[0015] Unlike traditional smart agriculture platforms that impose rigid vendor-controlled systems, SDF prioritizes data ownership, flexibility, and ecological intelligence. It is not a product — it is a platform philosophy for resilient, sustainable, and high-yield farming.

[0016] From a market analysis perspective, the global agriculture technology (AgTech) market had a size of $18. IB in 2023, with a projected growth: CAGR of 13.4% through 2030, expected to surpass $40B. The primary drivers are climate change and environmental stress; demand for food traceability and ecological compliance; shortage of skilled labor in farming and the need for yield optimization and cost reduction. The investment landscape shows a record-breaking AgTech investment of $11.4B in VC funding in 2023, with primary areas of investment of farm management platforms; predictive analytics and Al; remote sensing and loT; and autonomous equipment and robotics.

[0017] The target segments for SDF are: cooperatives and small-to-medium farms, typically underserved by proprietary vendors; large-scale producers seeking interoperability and cost control; emerging markets where flexibility and edge-computing reduce dependency on constant connectivity; and ecosystem enablers: software developers, agri-input suppliers, agri-tech startups.

[0018] Unlike traditional AgTech, SDF implemented true openness at every layer, as summarized in the table below:

[0019] Regarding data sovereignty and intelligence at the edge, unlike cloud- dependent platforms, SDF is edge-native. In particular, SDF processes sensor data locally on robust edge devices; enables real-time, autonomous decisions (e.g., triggering irrigation before stress); and works offline, syncing only when connectivity is available, which is ideal for rural or remote farms. Regarding the actual data, it belongs entirely to the farmer, with dynamic sharing rules built into the platform.

[0020] Traditional AgTech tools isolate farms. In contrast, SDF connects them so that collaboration becomes a platform feature. Specifically, SDF supports: shared dashboards and anonymized data pools across cooperatives; templates, routines, and success models sharable across farms; and collaborative R&D model with universities, developers, and agronomists. SDF is thus a type of agricultural operating system designed for cooperation.

[0021] SDF supports a multi-sided marketplace. Farmers get tools, analytics, and services; developers monetize niche solutions (e.g., mango bloom optimization); and suppliers and agronomists embed their know-how into the system. This enables revenue-sharing models that encourage innovation. For example, farmers can suggest features, developers can build them, and everyone benefits.

[0022] SDF is designed with agroecology in mind. It supports pest-aware spraying, crop rotation schedules, and biodiversity indicators. SDF enables ethical data use to prevent data monetization behind farmers’ backs. Also, SDF enables climate resilience: it integrates climate models, local weather stations, and species-specific stress maps.

[0023] The table below compares Traditional Vendors (such as John Deere Ops Center and Climate FieldView) OpenAg Stack (such as FIWARE and OADA) and the SDF Platform across multiple dimensions:

[0024] Some of the unit differentiators of SDF include: Farmer Sovereignty (true ownership over data and tools); Marketplace-Driven Innovation (an ecosystem where developers and farmers co- create); Modular Deployment (farmers can start small and scale features as needed); Offline Resilience (edge-computing built-in, ideal for remote and disconnected regions); Cooperative DNA (built by cooperatives for cooperatives, focused on inclusivity) and Future-Ready (designed to support regenerative, precision, and climate-smart farming practices).

[0025] The table below compares traditional platforms and SDF with respect to various issues:

[0026] A variety of revenue streams are possible in a SDF environment. For example, core subscriptions can be offered per farm, per hectare, or per device. Premium Services can be offered that include: predictive analytics, crop-specific recommendations and climate response modeling. A developer marketplace enables a revenue share model for third-party apps and plugins, and platform licensing is possible for governments, cooperatives, and integrators.

[0027] The able below illustrates a comparison of SDF and other platforms across various attributes:

[0028] Just as open standards and edge computing redefined IT, SDF is the foundational shift agriculture needs to thrive in a world of climate change, economic pressures, and generational transition. SDF is not just a better tool, it’s a better philosophy, where farmers are owners, innovators, and collaborators in their digital future Software-Defined Farming (SDF) represents a paradigm shift in agricultural technology, moving away from proprietary, siloed solutions toward an open, integrated platform that empowers farmers with greater control and flexibility.

[0029] In an embodiment of the invention, SDF is built on an open software architecture that decouples farm management applications from the underlying hardware infrastructure. This separation allows for:

[0030] 1. Hardware Agnosticism: Unlike traditional smart farming solutions that rely on proprietary sensors and actuators (S&A), SDF supports any S&A hardware through standardized interfaces, utilizing merchant silicon rather than proprietary ASICs (Application- Specific Integrated Circuits).

[0031] 2. Data Management Framework: SDF places farmer-owned data at its core, with a flexible, scalable, and efficient database that maintains data integrity while enabling granular access control — farmers decide what, when, with whom, and for how long to share the data.

[0032] 3. Infrastructure Orchestration Layer: SDF implements a control layer that manages the communication between farm applications and physical infrastructure, similar to how software-defined networking separates the control plane from the data plane.

[0033] The SDF platform integrates several technical components to form a comprehensive farm management system. Some embodiments include:

[0034] 1. Smart Decision System: As illustrated in Figure 1, this serves as the central processing unit that analyzes data and coordinates actions.

[0035] 2. Data Acquisition Systems: These collect information from various sensors monitoring: o Environmental parameters o Soil conditions o Chemical products o Plant welfare o Other relevant metrics

[0036] 3. Variable Rate Control Systems: The platform manages precision application of: o Irrigation (VRI - Variable Rate Irrigation) o Fertilization (VRF - Variable Rate Fertilization) o Other agricultural inputs

[0037] 4. Open Standards Protocol Stack: Facilitates communication between different system components regardless of vendor or manufacturer.

[0038] 5. Application Marketplace: Provides farmers access to a diverse ecosystem of applications for yield optimization, resource management, and ecological control.

[0039] SDF distinguishes itself from conventional agricultural technology platforms through several key technical characteristics:

[0040] 1. Open Framework: Unlike closed, proprietary interfaces common in major AgTech platforms, SDF uses open standards that enable interoperability. 2. Cost Optimization: The approach aims to minimize both acquisition and ongoing operational costs through the use of commodity systems and open standards, as shown in Figure 3.

[0041] 3. Scalability: The platform architecture supports expansion from small farms to large agricultural cooperatives.

[0042] 4. Data Sovereignty: Advanced database management ensures farmers maintain ownership of their data while still enabling collaborative insights.

[0043] As illustrated in Figure 2, the SDF system moves away from traditional siloed approaches (separate systems for irrigation, sowing, harvesting, etc.) to a unified platform with:

[0044] 1. Standards-Based Hardware Infrastructure: Forms the foundation layer

[0045] 2. Infrastructure Control Layer: Manages the hardware resources

[0046] 3. Orchestration Layer: Coordinates system components

[0047] 4. Applications Layer: Provides specialized functionality for different farming needs

[0048] This layered architecture enables farmers to select and integrate the specific applications and hardware that best suit their unique agricultural requirements. This open approach provides rapid, superior, and unrivaled advantages over legacy systems, proprietary solutions, and commodity systems while decreasing ongoing operational costs.

[0049] The application marketplace is designed to support and enable collaborative business models, providing a robust legal and technical foundation to safeguard innovations developed within the ecosystem. This framework promotes sustained investment and engagement by fostering a cooperative environment aligned with the strategic objectives of the agricultural sector — namely, the establishment of sustainable infrastructures and the long-term capitalization of outcomes.

[0050] This next-generation marketplace accommodates a wide spectrum of applications and services, ranging from modular, reusable microservices to sophisticated solutions integrating third-party tools. It supports diverse business models, enabling both competition and collaboration, and facilitating shared value creation and revenue generation across stakeholders.

Claims

ClaimsClaim 1 : A software-defined farming system comprising: a centralized data management framework configured to store collected agricultural data, wherein data ownership and access permissions are customizable by a farmer user; and an orchestration engine that supports an application programming interfaces (APIs) to support an open application marketplace for agricultural management services.Claim 2: The system of claim 1, further comprising an edge-computing infrastructure capable of processing sensor data locally and enabling autonomous agricultural decisions without requiring continuous connectivity.Claim 3 : The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to support hardware agnosticism by utilizing standardized interfaces compatible with any sensors and actuators regardless of manufacturer.Claim 4: The system of claim 1, further comprising a data acquisition system configured to collect information from sensors monitoring environmental parameters, soil conditions, chemical products, and plant welfare.Claim 5: The system of claim 1, further comprising variable rate control systems for managing precision application of irrigation and fertilization.Claim 6: The system of claim 1, wherein the orchestration engine implements a control layer that separates farm applications from physical infrastructure management.Claim 7: The system of claim 1, wherein the open application marketplace supports revenuesharing models for third-party developers.Claim 8: The system of claim 1, wherein the system is configured to enable collaborative data sharing across cooperatives while maintaining individual data sovereignty.Claim 9: The system of claim 1, wherein the system integrates climate models, local weather stations, and species-specific stress maps to support climate resilience in agricultural operations.Claim 10: A software-defined farming (SDF) platform comprising: a modular orchestration engine configured to manage heterogeneous agricultural hardware and software components via standardized interfaces; a data management framework allowing customizable data ownership and access policies; an API to support an application marketplace; andan edge- computing infrastructure capable of performing localized processing and autonomous agricultural decision-making, wherein the system enables scalable deployment and interoperability.Claim 11 : The platform of Claim 10 wherein the API supports modular microservices and analytic solutions, with programmable licensing and update mechanisms.Claim 12: The platform of Claim 10 further comprising a remote sensing and earth observation module configured to generate actionable agronomic insights, including one or more of: key performance indicators (KPIs) for irrigation scheduling, phenological forecasting, crop yield prediction, and pest or stress detection.Claim 13: The platform of Claim 10 wherein legacy agricultural applications and monolithic systems are disaggregated into interoperable services and data streams using a standardized decomposition toolkit, enabling migration to open protocols and cooperative data-sharing models.Claim 14: The platform of Claim 10 wherein the orchestration engine supports offline operation with intermittent synchronization, allowing edge devices to execute autonomous actions based on sensor input, user-defined rules, or Al-generated recommendations.Claim 15: The platform of Claim 10, wherein the modular orchestration engine includes a layered architecture comprising: a standards-based hardware infrastructure layer; an infrastructure control layer for managing hardware resources; an orchestration layer for coordinating system components; and an applications layer providing specialized functionality for different farming needs.Claim 16: The platform of Claim 10, wherein the data management framework enables dynamic sharing rules that allow farmers to specify how to share agricultural data.Claim 17: The platform of Claim 10, further comprising collaborative tools enabling shared dashboards and anonymized data pools across cooperatives, and templates, routines, and success models sharable between farms.Claim 18: The platform of Claim 10, further comprising agroecological features supporting pest- aware spraying, crop rotation schedules, and biodiversity indicators.Claim 19: The platform of Claim 10, wherein the platform is configured to support multiple revenue models including core subscriptions offered per farm, per hectare, or per device, premium services, and a developer marketplace revenue share model.

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