To delve into the current perspectives of farmers towards technology and discuss strategies to encourage adoption, AgTechNavigator is set to host an editorial webinar titled ‘Farmer attitudes and adoption… How to ensure we’re putting the ag into agtech’ on Tuesday, July 1. The hour-long session, moderated by AgTechNavigator editor Oliver Morrison, will feature experts in farmer-led tech adoption and innovation.
The panel argues that more collaboration, co-development, and co-design is essential to tackle the enduring barriers to agtech adoption among farmers. These collaborative approaches, where farmers, researchers, and technology providers work together from the outset, can help ensure solutions are practical, user-friendly, and address real-world challenges.
This call for collaboration comes as farmers express concerns about not being sufficiently considered during the development of agtech innovations. Feedback suggests a disconnect from research and development, with farmers desiring practical solutions. While there is ‘strong’ enthusiasm for technology, adoption is ‘never a given’, according to recent research from the UK Agri-Tech Centre.
A Barclays report from April this year underscores this point, highlighting that despite the potential of technologies such as precision farming and soil carbon monitoring, nearly half of the farmers surveyed cited an unclear return on investment as a key barrier. Many felt that the government could do more to support them with guidance and long-term policy clarity.
Sophie Fry, head of sustainability policy development at Barclays, believes the ag ecosystem needs to “better address how agri-tech can be developed for the farmer by thinking about on-farm use cases and joining up developers and end users”.
The unique nature of farming compared to other sectors presents additional challenges, according to Tom Slattery, farming innovation support manager at the UK Agritech Centre. “Technology cannot be scaled up in the way that you normally expect because each individual business has got different needs in terms of how they’re going to adopt it.”
Moreover, the terminology used by the tech sector can often alienate farmers, Slattery adds. “Terms like agtech or innovation have become quite off-putting. Farmers don’t see themselves as innovators. They are open to technology if it is practical, solves real, on-farm challenges and is respectful of their time. Often those things aren’t considered enough if the technology is being developed outside a co-development strategy.”
John Seed, a partner at the Woodend Farming Partnership in Scotland, describes farmers as “rational sceptics”. He explains that much of the technology pushed forward comes from technology companies and academics, which are both discipline-bound, whereas most farms are based on interconnected systems.
Seed identifies AI as the most significant technological innovation of the day, as it allows machines to perform independently and offices to be run efficiently. He predicts that in two years’ time, AI will have transformed the industry in ways that are not yet fully recognised.
However, Seed stresses that farmers are not averse to tech solutions, but they want the three “elephants in the room” – banks, retailers, and governments – to help de-risk the transition to using new tech.
Karl Behrendt, professor in agri-tech economic modelling at Harper Adams University, emphasises the need for proof of concept and real-world validation. He argues that it is crucial to understand and identify potential solutions, rather than presenting farmers with a piece of technology and asking what it can be used for.
Real evidence that technology is worth the investment and will improve a farmer’s business is often missing, Behrendt believes. Additionally, Slattery stresses the importance of tech companies offering support beyond the point of sale. If an agtech start-up can demonstrate it will be there to support farmers, “that is huge” in terms of building trust.