Commercial Farming Industry Trends
Delivered March 3, 2020. Contributor: Chris S.
Goals
To guide a digital strategy and content creation for a client by researching 5-7 trends that are influencing the commercial farming industry at a global level and any potential opportunities the industry is facing.
Early Findings
Use of Farm Robotics
- Robotics are being used in the "agricultural value chain" for planting, harvesting, and grocery logistics. There has also been a demand for robots in fruit picking farms.
- John Deere recently acquired Blue River Technology, a tech startup that created a robot that is able to identify unwanted plants and spray them with herbicides that would help reduce input costs.
- It's estimated that by 2024 robots will push the farm industry to a "$5.7 billion agbot industry."
Competition for Natural Resources
Structural and Employment Change
- High-income countries are switching from traditional agriculture to service and industry.
- A shift towards manufactured goods and dietary changes have developed from the interstate movement and reallocation of labor.
- In response to this, farmers have changed from farming multiple crops to a single crop, dealing in cash crops, and selling in markets.
Indoor Farming
- Vertical indoor farming is one of the fastest growing trends in global agriculture.
- In fact, the 2018 U.S. Farm Bill allocated an annual allotment of $10 million to develop "urban agriculture and supporting projects."
- A major selling point of this trend is this type of farming is pesticide and herbicide free.
- Whole Foods is one of the major companies that has implemented this type of farming.
Potential Opportunities
- While monocultures have grown in the world, researchers of global farming/ag argue for diversification since it is more ecological and supports the environment.
- A couple of other opportunities in the global farming industry is the use of digital technologies and governments creating new policies to align with current environmental issues.
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