Landwards Summer 2021
Profession: Agri-Tech awards
On-farm technology is helping boost sustainability, productivity and profit
Innovative agri-tech companies invited to enter the Agri-Tech Excellence Awards From yield-boosting robotic milkers to disease-detecting arable drones, the rapid growth of on-farm technology is helping farmers around the world boost their productivity, sustainability and profit. Engineers include a lot of bright, forward-looking innovative people and those in the IAgrE are of course no exception. In their pursuit of future technological developments, however, how much consideration is given to the plight of the target customer? No doubt the obvious answer would be that is the objective, to improve the future efficiency of agriculture and 36
horticulture for the benefit of all. How much consideration is given to the business situation of these customers? It could be suggested that there is something of an assumption that future innovation ideas will be accepted with the same enthusiasm as the innovator had with its development. Should this aspect be given more thought? Should the IAgrE give more support?
If we consider the current target market, we obviously have a mixture of type, size, age, wealth and opinion, but perhaps the one aspect which is common is the operational margins of their business. Many growers would accept they have a good lifestyle, but they are also trying to run a business and that is very challenging. It is also important to separate the wealth
