By: Dan Brew, Jargon Group Cardiff
With a global population of over 8 billion people and the UK population nearing 67 million, food production needs to meet the demands of a growing population in addition to ensuring food security, at a time when carbon emissions also need to be reduced. It’s a problem on a mammoth scale but what’s the solution? Well, there’s no one silver bullet but technology is already making an impact, so what are the opportunities for the UK to ride the green wave and how can communications help?
What’s the current state of play?
Broadly speaking, agritech involves technologies that improve the efficiency of farming processes, as well as increasing yields and bolstering sustainability efforts; anything from robotic tractors to animal biotechnologies or bespoke financial services offerings. The areas of indoor farming and animal agritech are particular areas of strength for the sector in the UK.
Governments nationally and regionally are committed to growing this sector but for it to be a real success, adoption levels need to increase in many areas of the agricultural industry. Awareness is crucial to accelerating adoption, so technology developers can better communicate with farmers. The recent reality television hit ‘Clarkson's Farm’ has shown the importance of awareness when it comes to agriculture and how agritech solutions such as the Moocall can make a retail difference to those who help to put food on our tables.
Using communications to sow the seeds of opportunity
Communication is an important tool for the agritech industry, whether that’s attracting the attention of potential investors or contacting farmers who would benefit from new solutions to often long-standing issues. The sector has been through a turbulent few years with macroeconomic events creating new obstacles both nationally and internationally. The opportunities that technology can afford to farmers should be a source of optimism and for regional areas in the UK, there’s a chance to create opportunities in an economy that is arguably too London-centric, where decision-makers are far away from many of the green pastures that feed the nation.
Whether it’s reaching out to farmers via reputable publications and social media or being an influential voice for change, agritech businesses can break down barriers using powerful communications campaigns and approaches. The bigger picture also needs to be brought into view, when it comes to the green economy, as the UK lags behind many of its international competitors, so growth is vital. The sector really could benefit from harnessing some of the strategies common in other sectors and making its voice heard more loudly to claim a larger slice of the pie. Agritech doesn’t just have the potential to improve the climate for the better but also to share economic prosperity and to grow the green shoots of prosperity in the areas that need it the most, the role of communications therefore cannot be ignored.
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