5 minute read
Technology link-up
During Covid-19 lockdown Georgina Knock reflected on the role of technology in agriculture and how we embrace digital tools to adapt
Lessons from Lockdown
THE effect of coronavirus has been colossal. Forever an optimist, I try to focus on the lessons we can learn from challenging times. So while lockdown saw a huge surge of consumers experiencing the rollercoaster of sourcing, growing and cooking food in totally new ways, it has probably transformed the food supply chain forever.
Adapting with Tech’s toolbox
Coronavirus has accelerated changes in behaviour, including how people buy food. What would have occurred gradually over several years, has happened in a handful of months. More on-line ordering of goods from retailers and farm shops has shifted consumer expectations, with technology set to be an increasingly integral part of people’s relationship with food for years to come.
In agriculture the tech toolbox is vast, and adaptability is one of farming’s best qualities – from crop and livestock genetics, to sensors in soil and machinery, to applying seed, sprays and fertilisers ever more precisely.
Working alongside traditional farming methods these tools improve efficiency and safety, and ultimately help us produce more food whilst impacting the environment less. But whilst farming is data-rich, the information is often in silos, collected on paper or simple spreadsheets, making analysis and insights tricky.
We routinely check the news and update our Facebook status on our Smartphones. So why don’t we track crop growth stages, for example, in just the same way? “Maris Piper has just completed its growth cycle #readytoharvest” with emojis optional
My Agritech Journey
Over the past few years I have enjoyed becoming more involved in managing our family arable farm in Suffolk. I am currently researching irrigation systems and the choice, like tech’s toolbox, can seem vast, especially when factoring in a return on investment to match 5, 10 and 20 year business plans.
My previous roles have always involved technology – I find the possibilities fascinating. In January I joined agritech software specialist KisanHub, combining my passions for farming and innovation. For me it comes down to connection, and which tool best connects and optimises what we already have on the farm, for future-proofing the business.
Remarkably, during the start of coronavirus, KisanHub had its best quarter of the past two years. More businesses were searching for tools to support and manage their teams remotely, share photos and videos for agronomy advice, and see accurate forecasting for urgent supply.
As Paul Sneyd, Global Grower Manager at Jupiter Group, based in Shropshire, explains: “The challenges Covid-19 brings means having our data all in one place and full visibility of our supply chain thanks to KisanHub has been imperative. As we move forward with the demands of consumers and how they view their purchasing habits, we believe it’s important that there is transparency between seed and shelf, so everyone from our growers, customers and consumers can see we are producing food in a sustainable way.”
Online world
The KisanHub online platform connects supply chains from seed to sale, and supports over ten thousand growers globally, managing over 50 different crops, from potatoes to pomegranates, including major food businesses, like AB InBev, and UK-based Burgess Farm Produce and TH Clements.
The online hub harnesses the security and connectivity of cloud technology, as online banking did for the finance sector in the early 1990s. It recently integrated with Farmplan’s Gatekeeper, so the two speak the same language, to gain better insights without entering information twice.
Collaboration and efficiency
Similar to online banking, these digital tools can provide a secure and faster way for people to collaborate and share information. Imagine farm managers, agronomists, technical managers and the procurement team all having a central source of ‘truth’ to improve efficiency through data-led decisions.
This improves the reliability of data, so companies can respond faster than with traditional paper and multiple spreadsheets. For example, we have recently released a new feature: Paperless load tickets. To save time, resources and help bring farming further into the online world.
To create more efficient, sustainable and resilient food supply chains, we need to embrace data, software and technology. So maybe the brightest silver lining of the coronavirus pandemic for me has been a newfound appreciation for our UK food system, and that food is integrally connected with our health and wellbeing, and can benefit hugely from the appliance of new technologies.
GEORGINA KNOCK
Marketing & Communications Manager, KisanHub, Cambridge. MSc Behaviour Change, UCL. 5th generation role on family farm with Holiday Lettings diversification. Joined Under 30s Committee in 2017, focused on Communications. Email georgina@kisanhub.com Twitter @georgina_knock
Farming brief
Rural Enterprise
THE National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE) aims to support enterprise, resilience and innovation among rural firms and unlock the untapped potential of rural economies.
Led by experts from Newcastle, Warwick, Gloucestershire and the Royal Agricultural Universities, and working with businesses, policy makers, enterprise agencies and communities, the Centre has been awarded £3.8 million of funding by Research England.
In England alone, rural businesses comprise over half a million enterprises, 3.6 million employees and contribute over £260 billion to GDP. “The need to encourage and release the dynamism and untapped potential of rural areas is even greater now with the combined uncertainty of Brexit and impacts of Covid-19 and what the implications will be, not just for rural areas, but for the UK economy as a whole,” said Centre Director Jeremy Phillipson, Professor of Rural Development at Newcastle University.
“The National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise can provide much of the research, knowledge transfer and support for businesses, and exemplars that are needed to do this, which is why we are delighted to help develop and support it,” added James Farrell, Head of Rural at Strutt & Parker.
