A survey conducted by the DEMETER project has found that more than half of farmers in Ireland are using some sort of smart farming technology (SFT), while 34% believe they will begin to use it in the future.
Carried out in November and December of last year, more than 484 farmers in 46 countries took part in the survey on the main drivers and barriers to the adoption of SFT. The research project aimed to understand the main interests, needs and concerns that farmers have around the concept.
Across the board, 48% of farmers are using this technology, 5% lower than Ireland’s rate. Meanwhile, 37% expect that they will adopt the practice in the future, 3% higher than Ireland’s number.
The provision of better information that can help to manage on farm activities is the biggest driver to adoption of these technologies according to the findings. The simplification of work and the potential to increase profitability are also large drivers.
However, significant barriers to adopting this type of technology emerged from the survey also. Costs were cited as the biggest obstacle, with 53% saying that these technologies are too expensive.
Despite this, those that had already adopted the technology presented a strong cost-benefit attitude in their responses.
23% of farmers also said data privacy is a significant barrier, while 50% of Irish farmers cited this as a key concern, believing that their data would not be kept secure and private.
Sustainability was another key topic in the research. According to the results of the survey, the majority of farmers do not currently see clear environmental benefits associated with using this smart farming technology. However, they do believe that such technologies can improve their environmental impact and help them to cope with climate change.
According to DEMETER, Irish farmers perceive the barriers to adoption to be higher than other countries that participated in the survey. Project coordinator and executive director at Walton Institute Kevin Doolin said:
“Farmers are a key stakeholder group for DEMETER. Understanding their needs, interests and concerns regarding smart farming technology adoption is important.
“These findings are being used to sharpen DEMETER’s value proposition for those participating in the project and for a wider network of farmers and technology providers.”
Other findings from the survey concluded that the higher a farmer’s education level, the more likely they are to recognise the benefits associated with adopting SFT. Similarly, farmers with larger holdings were also more likely to believe that these technologies can help to simplify their work and increase yields, in comparison to farmers with smaller operations.