Amid COVID-19 scare digital technology is creating solution for farmers
COVID-19 pandemic is promoting two paths. One is either to adapt or to suffer. where at large commodity-scale farmers have uncertainty in their mind, some small farmers are seeing for out of the box solution amid the chaos.
As grocery store shelves are being emptied faster than they can replenish and supply chains hit with countless delays or outright stoppages, farmers have found themselves uniquely poised to feed the hungry masses.
Finding ways of supporting farmers to keep producing food and to remain connected to markets is essential.
farmers are adopting labor-saving practices that compensate for reduced labor availability caused by sick family members, limitations on collective labor, and restrictions on the movement of people to producers’ fields is also important.
I’m not sure that the Coronavirus outbreak moves the needle one way or the other regarding farmer’s attitudes toward AgTech. I do sense that there is heightened concern over things like supply chain issues and potential labor issues because of the virus.
In that regard, the adoption of productivity, organization and information gathering tools could potentially accelerate.
The use of cutting-edge remote-sensing tools, combined with machine learning, offers a promising approach to map disruptions in crop production. Data collection using cell phones can be deployed at scale to monitor the global impacts of COVID-19 on farmers and consumers.