BiomeMakers Blog

Trends and Challenges in Agriculture 2021

Written by Juan Vicente Beneitez Lajas | 05/Apr/21

Trends and Challenges in Agriculture 2021

84% of farmers have not found an input product yet that they find completely satisfying. Climate change and soil erosion are the top two challenges for 2021.

Biome Makers, a global agtech company modeling soil functionality, presents the conclusions obtained from the report “2021 Trends and Challenges in Agriculture” which focuses on key factors concerning various players in Agriculture. The report is based on a survey conducted at the beginning of the year among nearly 100 farmers and agronomists located in the United States, Europe, Central and South America. It includes the voices of different industry players: Ag Input Manufacturers, retailers and independent agronomists.

According to the study, sustainable practices are increasingly being embraced and implemented by farmers. Cover crops, in particular, are one of the top sustainable management practices that 45% of farmers expressed a willingness to adopt.

Ag-input satisfaction rates have ample room for improvement, given that 84% of farmers expressed that they have not yet found a product with which they are fully satisfied. The costs of ag-inputs weigh heavily on farmers, as 39% selected ag-inputs as one of their top two major operation costs.

Climate change continues to be a considerable challenge this season, causing a variety of issues for 68% of farmers. However, only about a third of them have reported any involvement in carbon farming initiatives.

AgTech has grown in popularity, especially among younger farmers. Nevertheless, 57% of growers of all age groups are eager to try new technologies, but are held back by numerous financial barriers.

For more detailed information, download the full report at https://info.biomemakers.com/agriculture-trends-2021.

In the report, we relied on the expertise of our participating partners: David Olson (co-owner of Sustainable Growing Solutions), Nate Wall (Winemaker at Troon Vineyards), Karbel Montes (Plant Nutrition and Irrigation expert from Dole) and Brian O’Toole (Chairman of Terravesco).