Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

14 THERE ARE A lot of digital farm tools on the market. Some feature visually appealing pictures, others might promise actionable insights in the field. Which one is worth investing in? Based in part on persistent barriers to more widespread adoption, the answer might be tools which bring a very small learning curve, are inexpensive, and feature high quality customer-company communication. BARRIERS Research from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in 2017, the University of Guelph in 2019, and various other institutions and organizations have identified a variety of barriers to the adoption of new technological tools by farmers. The cost and perceived poor return on investment, difficulty of use, lack of interoperability with other systems, poor internet access, and many other factors have been consistently identified. What makes a good digital tool? RAPID, RELIABLE, AND REPEATABLE DATA Matt McIntosh In 2021, another data set was added by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) — a Canadian non-profit organization working within the country’s digital economy. Like AAFC and academia, results from the adoption-related section of ICTC’s recent study on the use of technology in Canada’s agri-food sector indicate cost, lack of internet, poor user experiences, and other factors remain roadblocks. “Digital productivity tools have some of the highest adoption rates. The adoption of third- wave tech like GPS and sectional control is very standard, but things shifted when it comes to drones, AI, and cyber-physical systems,” says Maya Watson, research and policy analyst for ICTC and lead for the study’s section of the survey project. Though specific data from the study is not publicly available at the time of this writing, Watson says their results also indicate the lack of adoption among both farmers and food companies has been exacerbated by a lack of manpower on the part of tech- developers. A lack of researchers and a knowledgeable workforce, that is, makes it harder to communicate with customers both prospective and existing. “Small to medium farms are much less likely to have [new technology] because of the cost…Internet access is still huge,” Watson says, adding the shift to online trade shows has simultaneously exacerbated rural internet woes and constricted the ability for farmers to be influenced by product demonstrations. SOFTWARE If digital tools are not being adopted because they are expensive, hard to use, and bring little customer support, would a good digital tool simply do the opposite? According to Raj Khosla, professor of precision agriculture and agronomy department head at Kansas State University, the answer is — sort of. Industry News

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