News Future of Farming
'Digital applications essential in the future'
The world population is constantly increasing and that puts pressure on the food supply. After all, much more food has to be produced with much fewer resources. You can think of shortages in the field of water and soil. The use of digital applications will therefore become increasingly important in the future. For example, Monday 16 November emerged during Bayer's digital meeting 'Future of Farming'.
Not only is the growing world population putting increasing pressure on the food supply, climate change and the coronavirus also lead to uncertainties in food production. On the other hand, the shortage of land and water is increasing. "In our view, the use of all digital applications will therefore increase in the future. With a digital sector, we can create a data-driven ecosystem for farmers," said Mike Stern, CEO of The Climate Corporation and head of the Bayer Crop Science's Digital Farming Department concluded the digital meeting.
Support in making choices
For example, the Indian farmer Ravichandran acknowledges that the water shortage is an increasing problem. "Sustainability and efficiency are becoming increasingly important for farmers in India. How can we produce more with less or the same amount of water? New technologies can be a solution," he explains. "I started this farm in the 80s. If my crop showed a disease at the time, then the diagnosis was made on the gamble. Often enough we started the wrong treatment and the crop died. Today I use a app with which I upload a photo and then a diagnosis rolls out. Now the chance that I use the wrong treatment is significantly smaller." According to Ravichandran, these kinds of digital applications help farmers make choices.
It can be a tool not only for farmers, because it can also be the missing connection between the farmers and society. "For the first time in a long time, food is the most important thing for consumers. Empty shelves in supermarkets were an example of this," said Arianna Guilidori of the World Farmers Organization. "Many consumers today ask themselves where their food comes from exactly. Digital applications can respond to this demand." Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina, for example, started the campaign in Hong Kong last year 'TrackEasy', which gives the consumer a glimpse into the production process.
Incidentally, not everything can be solved with data, Stern also acknowledges. "We cannot predict the weather and climate exactly, but we can use data from previous years to make a prognosis for the future." He refers to the wet year 2019. "In North America, the sowing time was ravaged by rain. The data we collected at that time can probably be used in the future to predict a comparable period. In this way we are able to case better prepared."
Bumps on the road
And although we mainly think in terms of opportunities, there are still a number of significant hurdles to overcome. "The digital infrastructure in many countries (especially in developing countries) still needs to be fully adapted. Only in this way is it possible to continue to focus on a data-driven ecosystem," says Guilidori. There is also insufficient knowledge among farmers in such countries about digital applications in agriculture. "In India, many people use a so-called corona detector app and almost everyone has a smartphone, but many of the Indian farmers are not aware that their smartphone can also be useful on the farm," said Ravichandran.
Cost is also a problem. According to Stern, the government and private companies should invest in this together. The 3 speakers are of the opinion that farmers should be paid back for all their efforts. "Food has to have the right value and most of the consumer price has to go back to the farmer. If that doesn't happen, the switch to a data-driven agricultural sector will not happen."
Kimberly Baker
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