Microsoft announced the preview of Azure Data Manager for Agriculture, extending the Intelligent Data Platform and building off of the earlier Project FarmBeats. The new service is intended to support organizations to connect diverse data sources to build digital agriculture solutions. Data Manager for Agriculture is intended to help leverage Intelligent Data Platform, in-house, or third-party data services.

The announcement is part of a broader Microsoft commitment to agricultural technology. The company cited growing hunger worldwide and the need to produce large quantities of food as the reason for its preview offering. A growing array of sensors in soil—or in orbiting satellites—provides data that can be used to assess soil health, track weather or monitor waste. Bayer, for instance, is using the new service to run its FieldView platform to ingest data, track crop health, and forecast weather.

“Azure Data Manager for Agriculture is an important step towards accelerating the impact of big data and agriculture. With high-quality data fueling insights, we expect to see a value chain that is more predictable, more transparent, and importantly, where the value is shared all the way back to producers,” Jeremy Williams, Head of Climate and Digital Farming, Bayer Crop Science, said in a statement.