05.12.2024 | 4 min read

WayBeyond on the road with Daniel Than

Daniel Than-1

By Daniel Than, Customer Success Director at WayBeyond

Two weeks on the road, three countries, and ten commercial customer farm visits later, I’m back from a whirlwind trip through Spain, Morocco, and France. I had the chance to visit some of their key agricultural regions that supply much of Europe's fresh produce, where growers in protected cultivation are farming under increasingly complex conditions driven by climate change. Here are some of the key highlights from my travels.

Weathering the storm in Spain

I arrived in Málaga, Spain, on Sunday, and by Tuesday was driving through torrential rain to pick up Souheil, WayBeyond’s new EMEA Technical Agronomist Account Manager and the latest addition to our team in Morocco. On the drive back to town, lightning lit up the sky as rain pelted down. Yet, despite the weather, the fields were bone dry—a clear sign of the ongoing drought that has affected Spain for much of the year. 

We stayed in Vélez-Málaga, a town located about two hours’ drive from the province of Almería, which lies along the southern coast of Spain. Almería is where you find the highest concentration of greenhouses in the world—around 15,000 farms spread over 33,000 hectares. These plastic-covered greenhouses allow farmers to grow crops year-round, producing over 3 million tonnes of fruit and vegetables annually, with the majority exported to European markets.
The commercial greenhouse landscape in Almería, Spain

The commercial greenhouse landscape in Almería, referred to as as el mar de plástico (the sea of plastic)
 

While we were in Málaga, locals and farmers in Almería were hit by flash floods caused by a powerful weather system known locally as DANA. In just one day, it dumped a year’s worth of rain on the southern and eastern parts of Spain, destroying nearly 4,500 hectares of greenhouses around El Ejido, Almería, and wiping out crops across the region. The impact on crop production has already affected food supply chains in Germany, France, and especially the UK. 

We were fortunate to have avoided the worst of the storm that passed through Málaga, but the event highlighted the vulnerability of our food systems to extreme weather and the challenges facing our enterprise customers. As climate change makes growing seasons more unpredictable, crop management tools like FarmRoad will become even more important as it provides growers with critical weather and climate data to respond to daily challenges and navigate the complexities of a changing climate.

Driving through torrential rain in Málaga, Spain
WayBeyond meeting the Eliven Tropical team at their dragon fruit greenhouse

Meeting the Eliven Tropical team at their dragon fruit greenhouse
WayBeyond Daniel & Souheil at Eliven Tropical in Spain_1

L-R: WayBeyond’s Customer Care Director, Daniel Than with Souheil Rahoui, EMEA Tecnical Agronomist Account Manager at Eliven Tropical in Spain

Heatwaves and harvests in Morocco

From Spain, we traveled to Morocco, where we were joined by Anas, WayBeyond’s EMEA Business Development Lead. Together, we visited a cluster of blueberry farms belonging to customers in the country’s northern region before heading south to the city of Agadir.

The contrast in climate and terrain was striking. While the northern regions benefit from a cooler, more temperate climate, the south is hot and arid—a shift I felt as soon as we arrived. During our time there, we found ourselves in the midst of an unseasonable heatwave, with temperatures soaring to a blistering 44°C (111°F). This came as a surprise, given that Morocco was supposed to be transitioning into winter.
WayBeyond visiting African Blue’s northern blueberry farms and meeting their team

Visiting African Blue’s northern blueberry farms and meeting their team
 

Souheil explained that extreme heat can severely impact crop growth, particularly during critical stages like flowering. As we walked through hectares of raspberry fields, I was impressed by how well the high-value crops were thriving despite the harsh conditions.
WayBeyond ,eeting the team at Afrifruit

Meeting the team at Afrifruit
On-site at Afrifruits raspberry farm_2

On-site at Afrifruit's raspberry farm
WayBeyond catching up with the team at Azura at their R&D production facility-1

Catching up with the team at Azura at their R&D production facility
 

In our conversations with local growers, we were excited to introduce GrowPilot, WayBeyond’s free WhatsApp-based weather data tool. The feedback we received from current users was very positive, with many highlighting how the tool helps them make informed decisions about irrigation and other crop management tasks. 

A stop by Hassan II University

Between farm visits, we had the opportunity to visit Hassan II University in Casablanca, where I met Professor Mimoun Mokhtari and toured their agricultural facilities. Morocco is steadily embracing digital technologies as part of its broader effort to modernize its agricultural sector, and this is reflected in the university’s curriculum. It was encouraging to hear how the university is preparing the next generation of agronomists to use digital tools and agronomy data, which will play a crucial part in shaping the industry towards more efficient and sustainable practices.
Meeting Professor Mimoun Molhtarea at Hassan II University_2
The WayBeyond team at Hassan II University: L-R, Daniel Than, Customer Success Director; Souheil Rahoui, EMEA Tecnical Agronomist Account Manager, and Anas Bennis, EMEA Business Development Manager
Meeting Professor Mimoun Molhtarea at Hassan II University

Meeting Professor Mimoun Molhtarea at Hassan II University

Conversations on seed innovation in France

I wrapped up my trip in France with a visit to HM.CLAUSE, a global leader in vegetable seed production. While there, we had an insightful conversation with their team about the future of seed development and explored how WayBeyond can continue to support their work in producing quality, high-yielding seed varieties. This effort is incredibly valuable because it directly helps farmers meet the growing demand for food around the world.

Making a difference, one farm at a time

It’s been quite a two weeks. A major highlight for me was meeting with my WayBeyond counterparts in Morocco and spending time with both new customers and those I've developed close relationships with over the years (virtual meetings are great, but nothing beats an in-person visit!). Through the many conversations I had, it became clear that protected cropping farmers are eager to explore and adopt digital agronomy and utilize data to enhance their growing practices. As I boarded my 25-hour flight back to New Zealand, I felt a deep sense of fulfilment knowing that our work at WayBeyond is making a tangible difference on the ground, one farm at a time.

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