Technology won't make you a better farmer

Bob Nichols, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service via Wikimedia Commons

"Too often, technology is implemented in a haphazard way, either costing more than the benefits it should have provided or actually getting in the way of normal operations," says Nico Groenewald, head of Agribusiness at Standard Bank.

Technology should support, not dominate

"Some of our clients have applied technology so astutely that they can forecast their yield per millimetre of water needed. They have taken precision farming to its logical conclusion by implementing a range of appropriate technologies across the full spectrum of their operations in such a way that what they do in one area of the farm benefits and supports everything else they do.

"However, they've achieved this only because they are good farmers. They were successful before they introduced new technologies. They have simply used the technologies to do what they have always done well in more efficient, more cost-effective ways.

"One needs to understand, therefore, that technology won't make you a better farmer. Like a tractor or even a pitchfork, it's a tool. It needs to support rather than dominate a farm." On large farms, technology can often reduce the time and effort needed to do certain tasks. On smaller farms, the same technology can become a financial burden. It is, therefore, important to do proper market research and choose technology that is best aligned with your business.

A planned and holistic approach

"The point is not to be blinded by the bells and whistles of technology. Weigh the pros and cons carefully, in the context of your overall planning. In a long-term business like farming, technology isn't a shortcut to success. It's a partner that makes the long haul easier."

The need for a planned and holistic approach to the use of technology is reinforced by the fact that technology today is not limited to equipment and computer software and hardware. It also incorporates biological technology in the form of seed and fertilisers, genetics and new methods of breeding for specific attributes in livestock, the production and use of energy - specifically renewable energy, and soil science, to name just the tip of the iceberg.

"Many farmers fear that they need to become specialists in a very broad range of disciplines in order to produce just a few outputs," says Groenewald. "In fact, the only significant change that technology calls for is a whole farm approach that optimises the farmer's efficiency, including use of water, waste, soil, energy, and, most importantly, time.

Get to grips with technology

"Our recommendation, therefore, is that, instead of opting on an ad hoc basis for a piece of technology that seems to address an immediate need, take the time to understand the ripple effect of the choice you are about to make.

"Get to grips with both the operating and fixed costs of the technologies you want. Ensure that you have the right technology for your specific case and that the costs of that technology will not exceed the advantages it confers.

"Precision farming is a comprehensive concept. You need to understand the full concept and how individual pieces of technology will impact the whole - or, indeed, how not applying the full range of technologies will impact the whole. Precision irrigation, for instance, calls for the precise application of specific types of fertilisers and particular rhythms of planting of particular crops.

"A useful picture to carry with you into the era of technology in agriculture is that of a piece of cloth lying flat on a surface. No matter where you pick it up - in the middle, at a corner, along a side - the whole cloth will move. In the same way, no matter where you touch your farm with technology, you will affect the whole farm. Make strategic rather than just tactical choices."