Vodafone has partnered with Wimbledon’s strawberry supplier Hughe Lowe Farms to ensure the 1.5 million strawberries needed for the tournament’s stocks reach the grounds in perfect condition.

The communications company deployed a new tracker to monitor the berries’ journey; keeping tabs on the delivery vehicle’s temperature, as well as any collisions or damage to the packaging along the way. 

Hughe Lowe Farms has also used IoT capabilities from Vodafone to optimize the growing process. As strawberries are susceptible to disease, the farm used Vodafone’s MyFarmWeb tool to collect and analyze agricultural data, monitoring soil and crop health and determining appropriate water and fertilizer use. 

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“Not only does our IoT technology help the team make their operations more efficient and produce the best strawberries, it also helps them be as environmentally friendly as possible by reducing excess water usage and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Nick Gliddon, business director at Vodafone UK. 

According to Vodafone estimates, the introduction of IoT technology could help agriculture industries save between 2.6 and 5.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. 

Vodafone is the official connectivity partner for the Wimbledon tournament, with the multiyear partnership announced at the beginning of this year. Under the collaboration, Vodafone said it will use 5G, AR, IoT and VR to make fans’ experience of Wimbledon more immersive and engaging than ever before.