Farmers say digital technologies key to productivity and sustainability, but urgent government support is needed

Farmers urgently need government support to increase their use of digital tools, in light of increasing environmental and economic pressures facing Europe and Africa’s farming industry. These are the results of a new independent ‘Farmers and Digitalisation’ survey, conducted by Savanta ComRes and commissioned by Vodafone Group.

Over 600 farmers across 13 countries in Europe and Africa were asked about their current attitudes towards digitalising their farms, environmental challenges faced and current geopolitical and societal pressures impacting supply chains and rising equipment and materials costs.

As expected, climate change is top of the list of threats facing farmers in Europe and Africa. Nearly all farmers surveyed in Europe (97%) say climate change is impacting the financial viability of their farms to an extent. Farmers in Africa are similarly concerned, with 93% feeling the same way. Other threats cited by farmers include fuel and energy costs - impacted by the war in Ukraine - as well as low market prices for crops and livestock, and lack of support from the public sector.

Building more resilient and sustainable farms will take a digital approach

Technology and connectivity are powerful tools when it comes to addressing these challenges. It is therefore encouraging to see the survey reveal farmers are already using digital tools to reduce fertiliser use, water use, and to improve soil health. What’s more, over two-thirds of farmers in Europe (88%) and Africa (89%) feel that digital technologies can help farming succeed in the future.

Use of digital farming technology will increase according to results, with farmers saying they’re willing to invest more in this area to help them combat issues like climate change. Almost all farmers (96% in Europe and 94% in Africa) plan to invest more in digital tools in the next 12 months.

As farmers continue to mitigate the impact of these crises, research shows this community is turning to smart agriculture solutions. Smart tools used on farms can help farmers elevate costs, and reduce the use of energy, fertiliser and water, which is critical at this time. Technologies include drones, vehicle trackers and autonomous vehicles, as well as artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and smartphone applications, enabling the monitoring of weather and soil conditions, as well as costs and market prices. Smart watering, irrigation and crop feeding solutions also help drive efficiencies and increase the visibility of key farming data for this community.  

Barriers to further digital adoption

However, there are clear barriers for widespread and continual adoption of digital agriculture tools. 92% of European farmers and 87% of African farmers surveyed want more government support to help address issues like the cost of devices and other hardware which was cited as a particular barrier by nearly half of farmers on both continents.

Results show that it’s not just about financial support: 40% of farmers in Europe and 54% in Africa want training on how to use digital solutions. Connectivity is also a key ask with 35% in Europe and 36% in Africa saying that better mobile internet connectivity is something their government can do to encourage them to use more digital tools on their farm.

Joakim Reiter, Chief External and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Group, said: “This survey should read as a plea for help from farmers who are facing unprecedented challenges. It’s vital both the private and public sectors work together to provide this community with access to the digital technologies, information and training they require to develop their practises. We must transform restrictive regulatory policies and practices around digital, cloud and data services, and create an enabling environment that supports innovations like cloud computing. By doing so, farmers will have the opportunity to access the critical agricultural insights they need to farm more effectively.”

Vodafone supports farmers in Europe and Africa via cloud platforms, digital marketplaces and advisory services

For farmers, data is at the heart of this digital revolution. MYFARMWEB, Vodafone’s interactive, cloud-based platform enables farmers to visualise data collected from agricultural IoT sensors across their farmland, currently serving over 8,500 large-scale commercial farming operations worldwide. Earlier this year, Vodafone announced the launch of a pilot of MYFARMWEB across five farms in Europe, joining customers in South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, New Zealand and in the West Coast of the United States.

Vodafone’s Connected Farmer digital platform helps improve productivity, revenue and resilience for small scale farmers by connecting them to information, inputs, credit, and buyers, supporting a further 2.3 million smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The platform also offers access to information, good agriculture practice content and demo plots for training and practical change management. During the COVID-19 pandemic Connected Farmer supported more than 200,000 farmers in Eastern and Southern Africa by helping farmers apply for, and secure seed, fertiliser and crop protection subsidies from their local governments, playing an important role in improving rural food security.

Vinod Kumar, CEO, Vodafone Business, said: “From working with farmers across Europe and Africa over the past eight years, we’ve come to understand the harsh realities of how the challenges echoed in the survey are threatening the future of not only their farms but the entire industry.  While it is positive to see this community already embracing digital solutions, more must be done to guarantee that Europe and Africa fully embrace precision agriculture. By helping farmers to digitise their operations, we’re helping to reduce the barriers preventing faster connectivity roll-out, which in turn helps farmers alleviate costs and increase yields to ensure a more robust and sustainable future for the agriculture industry.”