Czech Agriculture Is among the Most Advanced in Europe

Czech Agriculture Is among the Most Advanced in Europe

In recent years, technical progress has been greatly responsible for changes in agricultural production. What other changes are way towards technological solutions in to be expected in the near future? Answers to this question are agricultural production, which places given by Antonín Machálek, Director of the Research Institute of emphasis on the variability of conditions Agricultural Engineering, and his Deputy, Jiří Souček. resulting from the natural character example, by the breeding of new crops and the

Which are the greatest achievements accom-

of agriculture. The basic elements of Technical development is historically one of tion and follow-up evaluation of data (relating to the soil, plants, the main reasons why agriculture is steadily animals, etc.), which are later used in the realisation of agrotechnical becoming increasingly efficient. At the outset interventions. It is true that the dynamic development of sensor and of our interview, it must be said that more than computer technology and easier access to financial backing facilitate one hundred years ago the absolute majority of the development of these technologies, but the idea of the “precithe population in Europe worked in agriculture, sion” approach to agricultural production is definitely not new. The while today their share is at the level of units of conclusion is that it would be wrong to use one partial application per cent. In the Czech Republic, the number of or a single machine as proof of success. In my opinion, the greatest people working in agriculture is 2.9 %, accord- achievement is that the awareness of modern technologies has been ing to statistics. This, of course, is not just due gaining momentum among farmers in recent years and that their to technical development. Its role is played, for interest in using new, modern technologies in farming is growing. improvement in the breeds of farm animals, not Is it useful to introduce new technologies in agriculture? Is it adto mention the more sophisticated fertilisation vantageous economically? How can the farmer assess the investsystem, animal feeding and more efficient plant ment in advance? protection and veterinary care. On the other As I have said before, agriculture is linked with variable conditions hand, it should be pointed out that progress given by the natural character of production. Among other things, this in other areas, too, is made possible thanks to means that it is often very difficult to state unequivocally what pays off the development of technical equipment used and what does not. In general, it can be said that in agriculture, just as in research, breeding, and the analysis of raw in other sectors of the national economy, smart projects exist. Howevmaterials (soil, plants, feeds), etc. er, sometimes we come across projects using absurd technologies and It is indisputable that such a dynamic devel- processes doomed to failure from the outset. Fortunately, I dare say opment of new technologies in agriculture as that in most cases Czech farmers are reasonable, and maybe slightly that we have witnessed in recent years has no conservative, so that before investing in anything new, they will examparallel in history. In addition, great progress ine how it works and find out whether they already have something is also being made at the level of research and similar. Moreover, sectoral research institutes, including ours, have a in agricultural practice. In the near future, the vast information base and, in addition, they can rely on a consulting spread of robotised technologies and technolo- network that in most cases will supply farmers with the information gies for precision and environmentally friendly they need. Farmers can find general information about operating costs agriculture is to be expected. of technologies used in agriculture from the comfort of their homes, by

Precision Agriculture are the specificausing the expert systems available free on our website www.vuzt.cz.

plished in the Czech Republic in Precision This naturally also has its negative aspects. For example, the loss Agriculture 4.0 in recent years? of working opportunities. Who is the most vulnerable in agricul-

Precision Agriculture and the term Agriculture ture, in this respect? 4.0 are medially rewarding themes. It is impor- At the moment, the problem in agriculture is exactly the opposite. tant to distinguish between these two terms and There are jobs for which no manpower can be found and, to solve the to define what they actually mean. Industry situation, farmers must buy more efficient machinery requiring less 4.0, or its rather artificially created sub-classi- manual work. We must realise that farming is a continuous process. fication Agriculture 4.0, is a term used for the Especially in livestock production, for example, work cannot be current trend towards digitalisation, comprising stopped for even a couple of days. In addition, the work is usually automation of production and changes in the physically demanding and time consuming, and very often it culmilabour market. Sometimes it is defined as a new nates at a time when the rest of the population is on holiday, while industrial revolution, and as such it should also farm workers must be operating the combine harvester or sowing be perceived from the philosophical point of rape late into the night. Here, it has to be remembered that farmers view. This ensues from a document presented at are not merely carrying out their business of working their fields the fair in Hannover in 2013. and cultivating the countryside, but also that they play an important On the other hand, Precision Agriculture is a social role by giving employment to people who would find it difficult

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to obtain work anywhere else. This is where opportunities are offered to the free labour force, for example, in processing agricultural production and producing regional foods right on the farms. Nevertheless, even so, the truth is that agriculture is facing a labour shortage.

Where are Czech farmers doing best as regards modernisation?

The answer links up with the previous paragraph. Currently, farmers primarily modernise the most demanding labour-intensive operations. In livestock production, robots are used mainly for milking, but are increasingly being installed in stables for feeding and cleaning slatted floors. In crop production, an increasingly popular method used is guiding machines in the field by autopilots, for example, in soil preparation, sowing, fertilising and other agro-technical operations. In providing new technologies, considerable emphasis is placed on the elimination of their negative effects on the environment. Modern technological processes are focused on the reduction of soil erosion and pollutant emission, and the application of fertilisers and pesticides.

Will the time come when the work of tractor drivers and drivers of other machines, the work of milkmaids, feeders and other farm workers is substituted by robots, monitoring drones and self-driving machines? How does the Czech Republic stand in this respect?

These professions are already now being substituted. Sometimes in part, sometimes in full. In this respect, Czech agriculture ranks among the most advanced. But although it has been shown that sophisticated machines and

systems can save work and eliminate mistakes caused by the human factor, it is practically certain that they will not be able to fully substitute man in the nearest future. In addition, in the conditions of this country, known for its relatively high building density, the use of a number of systems is restricted by legislation. For example, the fully autonomous operation of machines on the road is not permitted and neither is the uncontrolled use of drones.

What use will drones find in agro-industry?

Currently, the operation of drones is restricted by legislation: the need to register with the Civil Aviation Office, have an aviation work permit and a pilot’s licence, etc. From the legislative point of view, the drone is an aircraft, regardless of whether the pilot is inside the cabin or whether he controls the machine from the ground. This is severely restrictive as regards their wider use in agriculture. On the other hand, it is understandable that the operation of drones in the air must have rules, just as vehicles have on the roads. Currently drones are used mainly for vegetation and soil monitoring. With their aid, agronomists can obtain a large amount of data quickly and operatively and use them as a basis for making agrotechnical interventions and defining, for example, the correct doses of fertiliser for specific parts of the plot. Drones fitted with a thermal camera can be used for saving young deer during haymaking, for technical revisions of hard-to-access places, heat loss visualisation, etc. The possibilities of using drones are inexhaustible and, with the development of electronics, will be even more plentiful.

Approximately how many Czech farms use milking robots and automatic feeding devices? What other functions do robots perform?

To date, approximately over 360 milking stalls have been robotised on Czech farms. This means about 290 milking robots, because some of them have multiple milking devices. The robots used on Czech farms are mostly products of the six most significant international firms. Most of the milking robots are supplied by Lely. The number of feed-pushing devices used on Czech farms reaches the hundreds; robotic feeding devices to the order of units, and grate floor cleaners in stables to the order of dozens.

Do Czech farmers know how to use modern technical equipment efficiently and to work with the data obtained?

I think they still have a lot to learn. On the other hand, it is a question whether the current system can supply farmers with data in a usable form. In addition, definitely not all farmers have the skills to make use of such data. However, in livestock production, livestock specialists do work with data which they use practically every day, for example, when deciding about the admission of animals, determining feeding doses, carrying out veterinary interventions, or evaluating the quality of production, etc. All these decisions greatly influence breeding efficiency.

In which sector of agriculture is there any real technological breakthrough in the offing?

Here, it has to be realised that agriculture is a continuous cycle of activities, which are intertwined. This means that it is not possible to take just one operation or one step out of context. Therefore the greatest breakthrough is to be expected in the development of comprehensive systems designed for the monitoring and control of production processes in both crop and animal production. Specifically, I have in mind systems for automated stable management. On the basis of temperature and humidity values, air composition, etc., such systems will themselves ensure that the environment in the stable best suits the welfare of the animals. Similarly, it will determine the correct time of feeding and will compose the feeding dose automatically at the right time, according to current needs. In crop production, such comprehensive solutions particularly concern online monitoring of the state of the vegetation in connection with current meteorological data and the weather forecast. For example, such a system can predict the outbreak of fungal diseases and recommend the correct agrotechnical intervention even before their onset. The current dynamic development of sensor technology and elements for data processing is undoubtedly playing into the hands of such systems.

What difficulties face farmers when using new technologies? Are they interested in them at all, or are they instead rather more traditional?

The basic prerequisite for introducing new technologies in agriculture is their user-friendliness and simplicity. Technologies must be reliable and their operation must be reasonably practicable economically. I think that Czech farmers have no problem with such technologies.

How difficult is it for farmers to use new technologies and are there any opportunities for IT professions in this field?

Essentially, the main role for IT specialists should be in the development and application of new technologies, at most in the case of maintenance if necessary. The actual operation of the technology should be problem-free, even without any special knowledge in the area of IT. We must realise that the farmer´s primary task is to ensure the operation of the enterprise. The need for prompt reaction to changes in the performance of agrotechnical operations often causes stress to the farmer because of a lack of time. Under such conditions, the farmer can not be expected to be learning how to process complicated data and to operate systems requiring IT skills. Under our conditions, such technologies would hardly be accepted on a large scale. As an example, I would like to make a comparison: for example, we expect to be able to drive a car, without first having to re-program the control unit of the engine.

In your opinion, which agro-enterprises in the Czech Republic are the most innovative as regards technology? In which area of agriculture are the most up-to-date and most successful technologies used?

There are a large number of enterprises in the Czech Republic that are introducing the most advanced technologies. This applies especially to animal production and precision guidance of agricultural machines in the fields. Owing to financial support from the Ministry of Agriculture, there are several demonstration farms in the Czech Republic operating the most up-to-date technologies, which make it possible for farmers to become acquainted in practice how the technologies work and to gain practical experience in operating them. Some farmers gain information and experience in other countries and often take advantage of possibilities to collaborate with foreign research institutions.

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