Precision experiments open the door to increased profitability

This article examines the value of on-farm precision trials and experiments and how they can facilitate the bridge between science and practice within a South African agricultural context.

- Magda du Toit

Modern precision farming equipment, data-evaluation programmes, and digitalisation are paving the way for the introduction of altered cultivation practices on the one hand, but on the other, they also dramatically increase the complexity of running a farming operation. The relationship between a farmer and researcher or agronomist is also changing and becoming more complex.

One of the oldest and most labour-intensive activities in the world is now changing rapidly into a smart, data-driven industry. To keep pace with the changes, farmers are also compelled to embrace this digital, connectivity-fuelled transformation in agriculture in order to address production, marketing, traceability, and sustainability challenges. One can safely say that the agriculture sector is in the midst of a revolution, where artificial intelligence (AI), data and analytics are at the centre. The industry is counting on these digital technologies to further increase yields, improve resource-use efficiency, and build sustainability and resilience across crop cultivation and animal husbandry.

'I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THESE EXPERIMENTS ARE THE NEXT STEP IN PRECISION FARMING THAT CAN PROVIDE US WITH THAT ADDITIONAL 5% PRODUCTIVITY'

The tools at the fingertips of farmers, agronomists and plant breeders today would be almost impossible to imagine for those who were involved in agriculture a century ago. These tools are opening many doors to breeding, yield and production improvement, resource-use efficiency, sustainability and, in the end, food security.