Melbourne, Australia
October 8, 2024
Despite increased difficulties presented by weather volatility and climate change, Australian farmers continue to use technology to adapt and want the next generation to embrace life working on the land.
This year’s Farmer Voice survey, an independent global research project commissioned by Bayer, showed that out of the more than 2000 farmers interviewed, 9 out of 10 farmers worldwide are experiencing or are worried about climate change.
The survey gathered insights from farmers across eight countries, including Australia, the United States, Brazil, Germany, Ukraine, China, India and Kenya, asking farmers what’s happening on their farm and revealing their challenges and aspirations.
Over the next three years, Australian farmers are expecting political or regulatory decisions affecting their operations, climate and weather events, and price and income volatility to remain their top challenges.
To counteract this, the results show Australian farmers are leading the adoption of digital technologies when compared to farmers globally, with 90 per cent of Australian farmers using technology to support their farming practices, compared to 65 per cent globally.
While Australians recognise the importance of our farmers, 90 per cent of farmers globally do not feel that their voice is being heard. They want those outside the industry to better understand that they are crucial to our food security.
Bayer Crop Science ANZ Managing Director, Warren Inwood said the results show that farmers globally are facing many of the same challenges, and that Australian farmers are well-positioned to maintain their competitive edge – with the right policy support.
“Australia is one of the most food-secure nations in the world, thanks to our farming community giving us access to world class food on our tables each night. And this deserves to be protected,” Mr Inwood said.
“Science has its role to play. By tapping into scientific agricultural solutions, farmers have access to tailored tools to plant, grow and, importantly, protect their harvests. While the challenges are known, the opportunity to act is also clear. We must continue to innovate, collaborate and deliver the solutions farmers need.”
Mr Inwood said that despite the challenges on the land, more Australian farmers would encourage the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
“An overwhelming 75 per cent of our farmers said they would encourage their children and grandchildren to pursue a career in farming,” Mr Inwood said.
“As a community, we should be really pleased that they continue to encourage their family along this path, and we all have a responsibility to make sure we support the next generation of farmers. This not only means ensuring that they have the support services they need financially and health wise, but that we are also providing them with solutions to farming challenges that impact the quality and quantity of their crops.
“Collaboration and swift action at scale are key to mitigating the global food crisis and preventing longer-term food shortages at home and abroad. Strengthening our global food system requires prioritising access to innovation, supporting farmers, and an active approach to responding to what farmers are saying.”
Mr Inwood said that growing food to withstand new pest and disease threats and using innovative breeding techniques to help crops grow in more diverse climates and weather conditions will help ensure a more secure global food supply.
“We know breakthrough gene editing technologies like CRISPR are fast-tracking the tools to protect plants against climate change impacts. If we can do this as a country, it’s not just farmers who are going to benefit – it's everyday Aussies who will be guaranteed fresh produce year-round at an affordable price,” Mr Inwood concluded.
The independent research commissioned by Bayer surveyed farmers across eight countries worldwide, including Australia, the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Ukraine, China, India, and Kenya. The results also showed:
- Regenerative Agricultural practices are more widely adopted by Australian farmers than international counterparts (Improving Soil Health, Increasing Yields and Productivity, and Improving Livelihood are the biggest motivations to adopting regenerative agricultural practices).
- Australian and U.S. farmers are the biggest adopters of farm technologies and digital technologies (63% of Australian farmers use technology frequently, 90% of Australian farmers already use digital technologies on their farms, compared to 65% globally).
- Australian farmers see policy and regulatory framework changes (39%), and access to Crop Protection and Seeds and Traits as the biggest barriers to progress and 1 in 3 (33%) of Australian farmers view access to better crop protection technology as a barrier to progress. 28% of Australian farmers view Access to Seeds and Traits Designed to Better Cope with Extreme Weather as a barrier to progress.
- Australian farmers are most likely to favour reduced/no tillage to farm regeneratively, along with the USA (84% say reduced/no tillage is among the regenerative practices they currently implement. Crop rotation is the most widely used practice (85%)).
Topics
Species
