Farmer Engagement in Agritech

There has been a significant rise in the use of digital agriculture over the past decade. Agritech, a huge step toward productive farming, allows farmers to optimise their efforts, lower costs, and make informed decisions to ensure a successful harvest times.

In 2021, “the global agritech market was valued at $17,442.7 million in 2019 and is projected to reach $41,172.5 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.1% from 2020 to 2027.”

In this blog, we have discussed farmer engagement in detail. Before doing so, let us discuss-

What is Agritech?

Agritech involves using technology and technological innovation to boost the efficiency and output of agricultural processes. There are several agri-tech applications that encompass several different types of agricultural and technological innovations. The aim of these technologies is to attempt to grow more food in limited space and/or with fewer inputs. Since farming operations are automated, agri-tech saves farmers time and money.

Agritech: Pros and Cons

Pros:

1. Agritech is beneficial to both home gardeners and farmers who have shifted their interest to organic farming. Organic fertilisers, heirloom seeds, preparing compost and mulch are all aided using agritech. 

2. Farmers these days are moving towards integrated farming and are exploring honeybee and silkworm rearing, fish culture, etc. are not dependent on a single occupation. Combining agriculture and technology allows farmers to explore many other activities. 

3. Starting soilless agriculture-hydroponics, is another added advantage of agritech. 

4. Agritech enhances farm efficiency and farmers can grow several crops on limited land. Each acre of land gets an adequate amount of seed, fertilisers, and on-time water supply to ensure optimum yield.

Cons:

1. Agritech industry requires a lot of research and development. All technological modifications can be implemented only after proper experiments, which is the biggest setback of the agritech industry.

2. Another drawback of agritech is that it involves high capital. A significant considerable amount of money is required to accommodate machines and computers, and educate the farmers to use them. With the rural population involved in farming, people do not have sufficient access to education; hence, knowledge is the biggest challenge of the agritech industry.

Farmer Engagement in Agritech

There has been a significant rise in the use of digital agriculture over the past decade, and agriculture is a great step toward productive farming. Not only does it allow farmers to optimise their efforts, lower costs, and make informed decisions, but it also ensures a successful harvest.

For several decades, farming has relied on conventional techniques to optimise yield and reduce risk. However, modern-day farming is different, as it involved innovative changes and transformations. Technological advancements have reformed the agricultural ecosystem by providing high-tech services like agritech; and these platforms allow farmers to formulate modern farming technology, weather forecasting reports, analyse market demand, promote sustainable practices, and reduce costs.

Ways to Create Farmer Engagement in Agritech

As already discussed, farmers’ engagement in agritech helps enhance productivity and yields. It also facilitates trade through mobile applications without intermediaries. This maintains complete transparency and opportunities for farmers to attain the actual value of their harvests. Farmers nowadays combine hard work and smart approaches that are revolutionising the agricultural ecology. However, it is essential to engage the users on the agritech platforms to maintain a long-term relationship with them.

To create effective farmer engagement,

1. Create a Well-designed Onboarding Experience: An interactive onboarding experience is essential for farmer engagement. The initial stages of the application’s engagement will help you stay connected to your customers thereby enhancing conversion. Therefore, make sure your application is simple and easy-to-use as this will allow farmers to understand your application benefits better. This in turn will create a good first impression. 

2. Personalised Communication: A personalised agritech application will allow farmers to consume products, purchase them, and engage with the apps. Also, farmers prefer personalisation over standardisation as it promotes better engagement. Traditionally, farmers have relied on human interactions to get their queries resolved; and digital interactions should complement the role of the farmer. Farmers have a personal relationship with their farms; they are passionate about their farms and are willing to spend more capital on the tools needed to grow food.

3. Push Notifications: One of the great means to keep users engaged is push notifications as they notify farmers about what is happening, remind them about events, and notify them about new data. For agritech’s digital transformation, a customised strategy is essential to engage farmers. Push notifications will allow you to communicate with the farmers about your product offerings as it helps deliver relevant and valuable information to users, enabling you to interact with them continuously.

4. Social Media: Leveraging social media for enhanced engagement is another means. Social media as we know allows the instantaneous flow of information from one person to another as it offers an open platform where farmers and agritech enthusiasts can share knowledge and experiences. Agritech platforms can utilise social media channels to tailor a one-stop destination for niche agricultural communities to get trustworthy suggestions from industry experts. Through social media, farmers in developing countries can get access to information on the latest agricultural practices, modern-day farming techniques, and other upcoming agricultural events.

Wrapping Up,

The agricultural sector is unpredictable. There are different agritech apps that address different issues and help farmers work more efficiently in producing excellent outcomes. Agritech uses the internet and advanced technology to provide farmers with real-time information about their crops and livestock. Using this, farmers can make better decisions about what to plant, which pesticides to use when to apply pesticides and fertilisers, and how often a species should be bred. The agritech platforms also help farmers evade the complexities of their daily operations and channel their efforts towards a more profitable endeavour.

For more information on farmer engagement in agri-tech, browse through the KG2 website to learn more about the concept of agritech and how it has benefitted several successful farmers in Australia. Or, get in touch with us for more personalised assistance.