Farmeye uses space and ground tech to show how farming can be green

Farmeye, a Roscommon-based agri-tech company, plans to show that farming can have a positive impact on the environment with its Earth observation technology.

The company, which secured a contract with the European Space Agency in 2021, uses satellites and a ground-based lidar (light detection and ranging) system to analyse and report biodiversity and carbon sequestration data.

The map-based soil management system can be accessed by laptop, desktop or smartphone app to maintain a record of the nutritional profile of every field on a farm.

Eoghan Finneran, its chief executive, said: “A common misconception in the public is that farming is inherently bad for the environment, and that the industry is using green washing to cover the damage.”

He said that farming can have a “positive impact” and added that Farmeye’s approach would deliver more precise and reliable data for farmers and food processors.

“Some companies on the market think that only relying on satellite data and modelling is enough, but we do not believe that,” he said.

Farmeye was founded in June by Finneran, a farmer, scientist and agricultural consultant; Brendan Allen, marine scientist and food entrepreneur; and Joe Desbonnet, software engineering expert. It began as a spin-off from a University of Galway project in 2017.

Its first product was the geotagging function, which mapped the soil quality of farms by allocating soil samples to specific fields and times.

“We collect 25 soil samples per field to test them on different soil parameters and the results are then visualised on the map of the field,” Finneran said.

The farmer can access the result from the cloud-based data set using a computer or app.

Enterprise Ireland was a big help to introduce us to these markets. Particularly in the UK, it helped us to expand.

“Farmers can save up to 30 per cent fertilizer thanks to the data mapping out where it is really needed, and will receive a higher produce output to sell,” Finneran said. “The running cost of Farmeye is three times lower than what is typically paid for sequestered carbon.”

Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored. For Farmeye’s carbon testing, one or two soil samples are taken per field.

Farmeye said its system can help to quantify, report and monitor gas emissions, and it can also verify and validate greenhouse gas statements.

An eye on the future

Farmeye claimed it has mapped 1.7 million hectares of field in Ireland, the UK and Australia.

“Enterprise Ireland was a big help to introduce us to these markets,” Finneran said. “Particularly in the UK, it helped us to expand.”

Finneran has a family background in farming, and he helps to run an organic sheep and beef farm in Roscommon.

With a degree in agricultural science and a PhD in agricultural economics at University College Dublin, Finneran worked as a lecturer at the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and Mountbellew Agricultural College in Galway. He was also director of Onagh consulting, until becoming the chief executive of Farmeye.

In 2023, the company reported a turnover of €1.6 million and employed a staff of 22 people. In the winter season, when most soil health analysis is undertaken this number can be increased with sub contractors.

Next year Farmeye plans to push its satellite and lidar technology, and also aims to launch a new analysis technique.

“The technology is based on infrared spectroscopy, which can replace chemicals during the lab analysis and considerably shorten the analysis time,” Finneran said.