Google Supports Agricultural Technologies Aimed at Saving 2 Billion Liters of Water on American Farms
In a significant move towards sustainability, Google has announced a collaboration with Arable, an agtech solutions provider, to enhance water conservation in agriculture. This partnership is part of Google's water stewardship ambition, which aims to become water positive by 2030.
Google's data center campuses are located in both North Carolina and South Carolina, making these states prime locations for the implementation of this project. The collaboration with Arable is being extended to these regions, with a focus on reducing water consumption in agriculture.
Suzie Shin, Data Center Sustainability Programs Manager at Google, emphasized the importance of supporting responsible and sustainable water use in agriculture. The collaboration with Arable significantly supports Google's water stewardship ambition and freshwater consumption goals by enabling data-driven, efficient irrigation practices that conserve water on farms.
Arable's crop intelligence platform allows farmers to make precise irrigation decisions based on real-time data on weather, soil moisture, and crop health. Arable's Mark 3 sensors are being installed on farms in these regions as part of a smart irrigation initiative backed by Google with a $4 million investment. This effort aims to conserve over 500 million gallons of water by improving irrigation efficiency using Arable's technology.
Jim Ethington, CEO at Arable, shared, "Our solutions integrate IoT technology, machine learning, and advanced modeling to provide real-time insights, helping farmers do more with less water, less energy, and less risk."
The projects are expected to have a positive impact on groundwater in North and South Carolina, improving water availability and quality, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By participating in such programs, Google advances its goal to replenish 120% of the freshwater volume it consumes across its operations by 2030 through optimized water use and sustainable agricultural practices.
The collaboration between Google and Arable also aims to provide benefits including farmer training on new technology, enhanced on-farm profitability, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. This partnership contributes to Google's broader sustainability strategy, which includes net-zero emissions and circular resource use.
Arable, founded in 2014, provides data-driven agriculture and natural resource management solutions. The company's mission is to empower farmers to make informed decisions that optimize resource use, improve crop yields, and protect the environment.
In summary, Google's partnership with Arable contributes to its water stewardship ambition by providing farmers with scalable, user-friendly tools to monitor and optimize irrigation in real time. This collaboration promotes water conservation at the field level to reduce overall freshwater consumption, equips Google with data and impact reporting to track progress towards its water replenishment and sustainability goals, and supports Google’s broader sustainability strategy.
- Google's collaboration with Arable is extended to North Carolina and South Carolina, focusing on the implementation of water-conserving agriculture practices using renewable energy and technology.
- The projects aim to reduce groundwater consumption, improve water availability and quality, and decrease greenhouse gas emissions, supporting Google's goal to replenish 120% of the freshwater it consumes by 2030.
- Arable's partnership with Google provides farmers with training on new technology, enhances on-farm profitability, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, aligning with Google's broader sustainability strategy, including net-zero emissions and circular resource use.
- Arable provides data-driven agriculture and natural resource management solutions to empower farmers to make informed decisions, optimize resource use, improve crop yields, and promote environmental sustainability in accordance with Google's environmental-science and finance objectives.
