Sumer Johal is a global leader with over 25 years of professional experience in building and managing digital-first organizations across multiple industries and geographies.
Mr. Johal has spent the most recent decade of his professional career addressing systemic challenges in environmental stewardship and sustainability, food security, rural livelihoods and digital access equity – within agriculture- and rural-centric ecosystems. Mr. Johal sits on the Board of Agralogics, Inc. a global AgTech leader in data computation for agriculture. He also currently serves as the Executive Director of AgStack – a project of The Linux Foundation (non-profit) where he leads the development of the world’s first digital public infrastructure for food and agriculture, addressing global sustainability goals (SDGs) in agriculture through open-source technology and data.
Almanac empowers farmers by delivering actionable insights through a suite of products and digital tools as the trusted source of global farm intelligence.
It’s core product Semios leverages AI, big data analytics, and IoT to give specialty crop growers—farmers cultivating complex crops like almonds, apples, grapes, and citrus—real-time insights to manage their operations with precision. Through advanced tools, Semios empowers these growers to predict and control pests, monitor weather risks, and optimize water use, all within a single, seamless platform. This AI-driven approach not only supports sustainable farming by enhancing natural processes but also maximizes profitability, enabling growers to make impactful decisions when timing is critical.
Can you tell us about your journey from growing up in an agricultural setting in India to studying at MIT and eventually leading an AI-driven agriculture company?
It’s been an incredible journey. Growing up in a farming family in Punjab (India), I gained firsthand insight into the challenges and rewards of agriculture. I remember dining room conversations around weather, labor, prices and how it got worse every year. And despite that, I saw the determined and moral commitment to “feed the world.” My father worked for one of the earliest tractor companies in India and saw the efficiency that the tractor and its implements brought to farming. Those early experiences instilled in me a deep respect for the dedication and wisdom that define farming, and they planted a seed of purpose within me: to find ways to make farming a bit easier, a bit more predictable. Moving to the U.S. and studying computer science and electrical engineering at MIT opened my eyes to the transformative power of technology, especially AI. As I matured in my professional journey, I started to see its potential to alleviate some of the unpredictability that farmers face daily. I have spent the last decade of my professional life on that purpose in various leadership roles. Now, leading Almanac, my focus is to blend that timeless farming wisdom with advanced technology. Through AI-driven insights, we’re supporting farmers in making informed decisions, helping them adapt and thrive regardless of what challenges lie ahead.
Since joining Almanac, what has been your primary focus in transforming the company and its offerings?
My focus has been on guiding the company’s evolution into an integrated, technology-driven platform for agriculture – for all its stakeholders, but with the farmer at its epicenter. This transformation includes advancing our AI capabilities, strategic acquisitions, and a forward-looking plan that positions us to address the real challenges these stakeholders face today and in the future. We’re leveraging AI to enhance our platform’s ability to process real-time data and develop intuitive, powerful tools that help growers and their collaborators manage everything from water use to pest control. Our acquisitions over the past few years have been central to this evolution, allowing us to expand our offerings and bring more expertise under one roof. Looking ahead, our vision is to develop a platform that adapts and scales with our customers’ needs. We are a long-term data and technology partner for farmers, advisors and agriculture companies. We are equipped to evolve with them and meet the demands of the future.
How do you see the balance between traditional farming knowledge and advanced technology, and how does Almanac bridge this gap?
At Almanac, we believe in balancing the wisdom of traditional farming with the power of technology. We see tech as a tool that enhances—not replaces—the expertise farmers already have. Farmers bring a deep, intuitive understanding of their fields that’s invaluable. Our role is to create AI and data tools that respect and amplify that knowledge. With machine learning, Almanac bridges the gap by making sense of large, complex, orthogonal data sets. Our AI supports pest management by analyzing factors like weather, crop stage, and pest behavior to predict potential outbreaks. This helps farmers take precise, timely action, allowing them to reduce chemical use, optimize treatments, irrigate more efficiently and manage pests more sustainably. It also allows them to store their data, records and plans all in one place. We’re committed to making this technology accessible and interoperable, particularly for third parties, so farmers can consolidate all their information seamlessly. Through an easy-to-use interface, farmers can interact with Alma, our connected intelligence, which turns complex analytics, and a mountain of data, into straightforward, actionable insights. By designing tools that fit naturally into the decision-making process, we’re empowering farmers to make more confident, data-driven choices without losing the personal insights they bring to their land.
Can you explain what Alma is and how it will serve as a “Siri” for agriculture?
Alma is our connected intelligence and offers the most relevant insights from a farmer’s data, partner integrations, and the greater agricultural community. It helps farmers and advisors to spend less time sifting through reports and more time on the farm. For our users, Alma functions as a “Siri” or “Alexa” for agriculture, delivering timely, data-driven guidance to support their daily farming operations – with domain specificity around agronomy and cultural practices.
How does Alma use AI to generate insights for farmers, and what kind of data does it draw from?
Alma leverages AI to provide farmers with actionable insights by analyzing a diverse array of data sources. It processes information such as regional weather patterns, water demand, product labels, satellite data and pest activity. By integrating these data points with their farmer’s own data, Alma can predict optimized irrigation schedules, potential pest outbreaks, recommend optimal treatment times, and suggest other smarter farming practices – across geographies and crops.
Can you walk us through the process of how data from in-field sensors is collected, analyzed, and translated into actionable insights?
The process begins with instrumenting the fields—placing in-field sensors like soil moisture probes, weather stations, and cameras that monitor conditions in real-time. These sensors continuously collect data on vital factors: soil moisture levels, temperature, humidity, pest activity, and more. This raw data livestreams into our platform, where it’s immediately processed and aggregated. We then use AI to analyze this data. For example, in the case of pest management, the system can predict potential outbreaks by cross-referencing weather data with pest lifecycle models and ground-truthed pest trap data. This level of analysis enables highly tailored insights, specific to each field’s conditions. We then translate these insights into actionable guidance that fits into a farmer’s workflow. Through Almanac’s interface, these insights are presented in a user-friendly, visual format, coupled with specific recommendations.
Almanac recently launched an Open Source Project Office. What is this specifically and what led you to champion open-source technology in agriculture?
Our recent launch of the Open Source Project Office (OSPO) is a pivotal step in making advanced technology accessible and transformative for agriculture. The OSPO is designed to encourage open collaboration across agriculture and foster a global digital ecosystem where knowledge and technology flow freely and enable data interoperability and exchange standards. Championing open-source technology aligns with our vision to build a resilient and sustainable food ecosystem. By integrating open-source components into our crop management platforms, we’re not only strengthening Semios’ capabilities but also empowering a broader agricultural community to tackle pressing challenges—such as climate change, water scarcity, and food security. This approach is particularly relevant as we anticipate the need to double global food production by 2050 amid these growing challenges.
How do you envision open-source data impacting agricultural practices, particularly for small and medium-scale farmers?
Open-source data has the potential to be a game-changer, especially for small and medium-scale farmers. By removing the high costs and restrictions of proprietary technology, we’re enabling a new level of access to advanced tools and insights. This initiative empowers farmers to make data-driven decisions that were once out of reach, enhancing productivity and sustainability on their own terms.
How does Almanac help farmers achieve more sustainable practices, particularly in water and pest management?
At Almanac, we’re all about helping farmers make sustainable choices, especially when it comes to water and pest management. With our platform, farmers get real-time insights from sensors in their fields which helps them optimize their water resource use. On the pest side, our AI examines variables like weather and crop growth stages to predict when and where pest issues might arise. By catching these patterns early, farmers can act precisely—treating only when and where it’s needed, which cuts down on chemicals and protects the environment.
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals for Almanac, and where do you hope to see the company in five years?
I see Almanac expanding its role to enable global food intelligence through data and relationships at scale. We aim to enhance our applications to deliver clear ROI and “need to have” usage for our users. Third-party partnerships are also a core strategic focus, as they allow us to consolidate all user data in one place—where it can be synthesized and deliver real value. Enabling this kind of value is often challenging, as growers and farmers frequently face the frustration of managing multiple apps. The true value lies in the integration of data, not its isolation. Our strategy, built around understanding farmers’ pain points and economic needs, will drive rapid expansion in both user and partner engagement.
Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Almanac.
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