Global agtech company Biome Makers have presented several conclusions from the “2021 Trends and Challenges in Agriculture” report. The report focused on key factors concerning various players in agriculture, including ag input manufacturers, retailers, and independent agronomists across 15 countries.
According to the study, 75% of farmers polled selected sustainable practices as the management priority, and 74% of agronomists indicating that sustainability is a top trend. Cover cropping is one of the top sustainability practices farmers are willing to adopt at 49%, followed by regenerative agricultural practices at 45%. Motivation to move towards more sustainable practices could stem from profitability as well as pressure from ag-inputs.
Input efficiency is crucial, and 38% of farmers indicated that investing in farm productivity is on of their top challenges. There is much room to improve when it comes to input efficiency, as 84% of farmers have not yet found a product that they are completely satisfied with this year, which is concerning, as 39% of farmers polled responded that inputs are one of their top two operation expenses.
Climate change has had a major impact on food production, as 68% of participants polled reported that they have been impacted by climate change. Some common issues include frequency of extreme weather such as droughts and fires, and irregularities in seasonal weather. In fact, 70% of participants marked climate change and soil erosion as the top challenge.
Agtech still remains a challenge for farmers to adopt, as 70% have indicated that they do not use any agtech services. Financial barriers are a one of the largest challenges, and 57% of farmers claimed that adopting and learning new technologies is one of their important future challenges in 2021.
In rural areas, there is the concern of the future of agriculture and the importance of convincing young people to stay in the industry. 35% of farmers indicated that this was an important future challenge for their agribusiness. It is important to ensure that the land inherited by the younger generation is capable of quality food production and is profitably. Guiding the youth along with way is crucial, assisting with sustainable farming practices and adopting new technologies.
To read to full report, please follow this link.