Despite the stereotype of traditionalism, the agricultural sector drives the rapid growth of technology and innovation in Ukraine. This sector remains one of the country's main trademarks, as even during the war, Ukraine is among the world's top exporters of wheat, sunflower, corn and other agricultural products.
Technologies used by farmers daily include drones, IoT systems with sensors and sensors, satellites, RTK stations, automated seeders and remote-controlled tractors. All these innovations allow entrepreneurs to collect vast data to monitor indicators such as weather conditions, soil conditions, productivity, etc.
Frendt, a Vinnytsia-based company, helps Ukrainian farmers implement all these technologies, trains employees and re-equips existing agricultural machinery. Find out more in our article.
The story of Frendt is a part of the series "The Cream of the Crop of Ukrainian Cleantech". It features 10 cleantech champions who received Climate Innovation Vouchers at a critical stage of their development. Climate Innovation Vouchers is one of the largest grant programs in Ukraine for innovators in green and climate-friendly technologies. It was initiated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and funded by the European Union. Greencubator implements the program in Ukraine.
The Digital Revolution in Agriculture
‘Our goal is to make an agricultural digital revolution in Ukraine,’ says Frendt.
What kind of revolution is this? Just imagine that agriculture had remained technologically almost unchanged for the last 10 thousand years until the 18th century, when farmers, along with the Industrial Revolution, mechanized farming and introduced crop rotation, crop breeding, fertilizer use, etc.
Scientific progress had accelerated so much that the next agricultural revolution was not long in coming. In the 1940s, innovations in plant varieties and agrochemicals led to a boom in yields and a reduction in hunger worldwide.
In 2024, we are witnessing an agricultural digital revolution, primarily driven by the rise of the internet, drones, and artificial intelligence. To promote ‘Agriculture 4.0’ in Ukraine is a goal that Frendt has set for itself.
(Vitaliy Shuberanskiy, founder of FRENDT LLC)
'We founded our company in 2013. Back then, there were only two employees: my brother and I,' recalls Vitaliy Shuberanskiy, founder of FRENDT LLC.
Vitaliy has a management and agricultural production organization background, and his brother is an electrical engineer. This knowledge became the basis of their mission to help Ukrainian farmers not only implement the latest technologies but also to get the most benefit from them. This is how the brothers launched the centre for precision agriculture — Frendt.
The company started with a team of two people, and in 11 years, the staff has grown to more than 130 employees. By 2024, Frendt has developed more than 75 areas of precision agriculture, built the largest network of RTK stations in Ukraine, and worked with more than 8,000 customers.
However, let's talk about everything step by step. First, let's explain what precision agriculture is all about.
What is precision farming?
For someone unfamiliar with the digitalization of agriculture, it may be unclear what satellites have to do with the bread on their table. As usual, everything is simple and complicated at the same time.
Let's imagine that you need to sow a field with wheat. Before sowing, agronomists use various sensors, drones, and satellite images to analyze the field and its properties and develop a machinery route.
Thus, when the automated seed drill enters the field, it follows a pre-programmed route and sows as much wheat as is required in a specific spot. At the same time, thanks to GPS navigation and numerous sensors, the machinery moves along the set trajectory with almost surgeon-like precision, with a possible offset of only a few centimetres.
(Frendt employees install precision farming equipment on agricultural machinery)
The new role of the seed drill operator is not to drive the machine, but to control the process. Meanwhile, all the information from the field in real-time is gathered in a single system, so dispatchers can quickly notice and solve a problem.
Before the digital era in agriculture, the chance of a good harvest was sometimes like a coin toss. In 2024, farmers have access to detailed information on their tablets and computers regarding the condition of their fields and crops. They can compare the efficiency of different plots of land, apply best practices, and identify the causes of crop losses.
This approach is called precision agriculture. And this precision is not just about farmers' convenience. It's also about better yields, cost optimization, and environmental protection.
7 steps to precision farming
To implement the idea of an agricultural digital revolution in the Ukrainian market, Frendt started importing the necessary equipment from abroad. This included autopilots, sensors, robots and other technologies that help farmers automate processes in the field.
Frendt has established one of Ukraine's largest RTK base station networks, comprising over 150 stations. This network covers 80% of the country's agricultural land with an accurate RTK signal. Using satellite navigation systems, RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) stations provide precise coordinates to agricultural machinery for fieldwork.
At the same time, the company's specialists had become so proficient in technology that Frendt soon opened its service centre, where it repairs and maintains all types of navigation equipment.
Moreover, if you've seen a car's electric cable, you know how complex the electrical system can be. It's even more complicated in agricultural machinery due to harsh operating conditions. Frendt produces high-quality electrical cables and harnesses that match the standards of well-known manufacturers.
(Frendt produces high-quality electrical cables and harnesses)
However, it turned out that working with equipment was not enough for the agricultural digital revolution. It is also crucial to educate businesses and their staff.
'Ukrainian farmers bought equipment, but the question arose - what to do with it now? They didn't have a strategic vision of using all these technologies properly, so in 2019, we created a new area — consulting,' explains Bohdan Kruhlyk, CEO of FRENDT LLC.
By analyzing its successes and mistakes, the company has developed a comprehensive system for implementing precision farming in agricultural enterprises. This system comprises seven key steps, from basic field analysis to complete digitalization of business processes. Additionally, Frendt has established an academy to train specialists.
"No single piece of equipment can fully meet a farmer's needs. Each technology serves a specific function, and they often differ significantly. As a result, a machine operator in a tractor feels like he is in a spaceship, which is why training is essential," says Vitaliy Shuberanskiy, founder of FRENDT LLC.
Digital fields
One of Frendt's main projects is the FlyAgData system. It helps to 100% digitize and visualize farm operations.
"Initially, FlyAgData was just an experiment for us. We needed a way to visualize data as we developed. During the full-scale war, we enhanced our business processes even further, and FlyAgData played a crucial role in this," explains Bohdan Kruhlyk.
FlyAgData allows farmers to make data-driven decisions rather than relying on intuition. For instance, it helps identify weaknesses in business processes, reduce financial losses, and minimize the environmental impact of agriculture.
(Bohdan Kruhlyk, CEO of FRENDT LLC)
"Agrarians have never had a comprehensive field assessment before. Which fields are highly efficient, and which ones aren't? Which fields deserve more investment, and which aren't worth the resources? Why does one harvester perform better than another? With FlyAgData, farmers can finally see field ratings and allocate resources effectively," says Frendt's CEO.
To enter international markets with FlyAgData, the company had to protect its intellectual property and obtain necessary certifications. Frendt achieved this with the help of a grant from the Climate Innovation Vouchers, which they won in 2023.
The Climate Innovation Vouchers grant competition was launched in Ukraine in 2017 by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Union to support green innovators and climate-friendly technologies. In Ukraine, this program is implemented by the NGO Greencubator.
(Frendt founder Vitaliy Shuberanskiy at the Climate Innovation Voucher award ceremony)
“Thanks to the Climate Innovation Vouchers project, our company received ISO certification, making us the first and only company in Ukraine to be certified to international standards. We also conducted in-depth market research as part of this project, which elevated our innovative product, FlyAgData, to a new level,” says Bohdan Kruhlyk.
Frendt highlights that the Climate Innovation Vouchers inspired the company to not only develop as a precision farming center, but also to promote sustainable farming practices.
Frendt in the time of war
Frendt is based in Vinnytsia, a city in central Ukraine. From the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, management called back employees from business trips to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, the company helped build checkpoints, delivered humanitarian supplies to refugee centers and donated one of its vehicles to the army.
The Frendt team understood that the sowing season in Ukraine would begin despite the full-scale war. So, the company quickly returned to its core business.
Specialists from Frendt visited customers, helped install equipment and provided other services in regions without active hostilities. Remotely, they continued to consult farmers from all over Ukraine.
Mined fields were one of the main problems faced by Ukrainian farmers during the war. To address this, Frendt developed a light mine detector drone that doesn't explode when it hits a mine.
"We created a drone equipped with sensors that rides around the field and scans it. The operator stays outside the field and is not physically involved in the process. The system transmits data remotely to the office, and with FlyAgData, we receive a digital map with GPS coordinates of explosive objects. This greatly aids the work of sappers," explains Bohdan Kruhlyk, CEO of FRENDT LLC.
(Frendt`s mine detector drone)
One of the team's upcoming projects is to install seven modern weather radars in Ukraine, each with a 200 km radius. This project is crucial for farmers, as the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre often struggles to provide timely and accurate weather forecasts. A 2021 audit revealed that Ukraine has only four meteorological radars, which far exceed their technical lifespan, and aerological stations that are similarly outdated.
The radars installed by Frendt will transmit precise meteorological data, enabling farmers to choose hybrids or crop varieties, calculate seeding rates, and determine fertilizer amounts. This project will enhance crop yields, promote sustainable agricultural development in Ukraine, facilitate adaptation to climate change, and ensure more efficient use of resources.
During wartime, agriculture in Ukraine remains a crucial part of the economy, contributing taxes to the state budget and ensuring food security and employment for thousands of Ukrainians. Thanks to innovation and advanced technology, companies like Frendt are not only maintaining stable production, but also helping to lay the foundation for the country's recovery after the war.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
«The Cream of the Crop of Ukrainian Cleantech» is a series of stories about 10 Ukrainian companies that received the Climate Innovation Vouchers grant at a key stage of their development. They've risen to prominence in Ukraine's cleantech sector in a short span. Climate Innovation Vouchers is one of the largest grant programs in Ukraine for innovators in green and climate-friendly technologies. It was initiated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and funded by the European Union. NGO Greencubator implements the program in Ukraine.
