Problems of introducing modern IT technologies in agriculture
Modern agriculture is no longer possible without the use of automation. The first automation systems for agriculture were developed over 30 years ago when electronics began to develop very actively. Agricultural automation was created in three categories:
- Integrated automation systems. Application - mainly large greenhouses.
- Automation for irrigation systems for large areas of open ground. (Limited functionality).
- Timers for irrigation of small agricultural areas and municipal recreation. (Limited functionality).
The first two categories of automation systems were developed and built on the basis of industrial automation, that is, those devices and components that were used in the industry. Such systems have a very high cost, and the software does not have a universal algorithm and each application requires large adjustments, which additionally increases the cost of automation systems. More than 30 years have passed, but the approaches have remained the same. Over the years, the cost of electronic components has decreased hundreds of times, high-performance microcircuits, minicomputers, and many other components have been created, but if we look at the market of offered goods and services, it has remained in the last century ...
There are changes, but they are minimal. There are many different applications for smartphones that can of course be used, but they are very primitive, and there are no complex solutions. Farmers have a request to automate their production. But farmers have their own requirements for such systems and these requirements are not only technical. First of all, it is a matter of price.
Why is the implementation process slow?
In the past few years, IT specialists and companies have noticed that agriculture is very slowly starting to use modern technologies.
Large companies, for example, INTEL, have created special programs for the development of automation systems and IT technologies for agriculture. A huge amount of money was spent, but the result = 0.
A huge number of start-up companies have been created that invent and create something, and even this can be seen on a smartphone, but not on a farmer. All these beautiful toys are massively available on the Internet, at various presentations and conferences, but farmers do not. Why is this happening?
Modern IT specialists are far from reality, from the field, from the greenhouse, from the plants. Most of them do not understand how to grow strawberries or tomatoes, potatoes, or apples. They have a simple and primitive approach to agriculture as a primitive industrial process. Agriculture differs from industry in that products are not produced on an assembly line or on a machine, or even by a hard-coded robot.
Products are manufactured with the participation of the main component: NATURE. And if we want to achieve a good result, we must take this component very carefully into account and manage the processes of growing plants optimally.
The second aspect of the problem. The developers' approach remained at the level of industrial automation. Both according to the logic of the devices and the algorithm of software development.
This approach leads to the following problem. The cost of equipment and programs. Developers must understand that the income of any farmer is many times lower than the income of IT specialists. Therefore, if the IT industry wants.
This trend is leading to an abundance of startups that are developing new tools for manufacturers, from farm management software to applications that use complex data models and analytics.
The race involves not only start-up companies but also large companies that have identified the trend and growing needs and are trying to develop their own applications and software platforms.
Such solutions include, for example, pest and disease detection applications, farm management software, decision support platforms, applications that represent sensor data in the field, etc.
Despite the growing acceptance of agricultural applications by manufacturers, no application is widely adopted and the market is in its infancy.
Some obstacles are holding back the market ...
How to solve the problem:
Barriers to mainstream adoption of agricultural applications
One of the main challenges faced by software companies is that while most startups focus on solving one aspect of the supply chain, manufacturers need applications and software solutions for the entire manufacturing process.
It is unlikely that vendors will embrace multiple applications or programs, each of which addresses only a narrower aspect of multifaceted growing needs.
Moreover, while each solution individually claims to save time for the manufacturer, working on multiple applications takes even more time that the manufacturer does not have.
In addition, most applications and software platforms ask for similar information. For example, the need to draw on a map of the farm field, what crops to plant, stocks of pesticides and fertilizers, etc.
The manufacturer, on the other hand, finds itself overwhelmed by the multitude of solutions offered and the need to enter separate platforms. Also, the business and pricing models of many start-up companies differ from one another. This leads to further confusion among manufacturers and sometimes even makes them reluctant to accept new software.
When asked what their main expectation of an agricultural software or application is, most say that it should be simple and easy to use and that it should provide a solution for “everyone,” i.e., for at least three basic methods - irrigation, crop protection, and fertilization.
How can we overcome barriers?
Therefore, I believe that the market for agricultural software and applications is moving towards consolidation, technology convergence, and the creation of platforms that span the entire production process.
It can be said that this is in the hands of giant companies, and they will be the ones who will either develop an end-to-end software solution or acquire several small startups and host them on one platform.
However, I think that due to the fact that large companies have a complex structure and because their DNA is made up of production resources or equipment (irrigation equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, etc.), They lack the enthusiasm and greater capacity needed to develop new technologies that are not in their direct focus.
Therefore, start-up companies will continue to lead the research and development of applications and software. It appears that startup companies will eventually have to join forces or team up to provide this “one” solution.
