Last week, agriculture ministers of the enlarged Visegrad Group met to discuss the Common Agricultural Policy and the possibilities for involving modern technologies in farming. The government says it is going against precision agriculture, but the aid itself mainly concerns variable fertilization and partly telematics. Unfortunately, this is not enough – it must be digitised comprehensively. Especially when this does not mean complex interventions or high investments on most farms, and it is now possible to buy individual elements, realistically saving costs and time, literally in the e-shop.
Digitalisation is a more complex process that affects all areas that the farmer has to deal with. Whether it is specific individual sensor rods in the field or in the seril, evaluation of mechanization travels for fuel saving, administrative assistance with filling in documents for application for subsidies or complete digitization of processes for the whole farm. From our experience at Agdata, I can say that a similar solution was welcomed by every farmer who came into contact with precision agriculture. Given the ongoing climate change, the COVID-19 epidemic, or the loss of labor, farmers need any help that makes their jobs easier. Otherwise, over time, we may reach the stage where the current farmers will quit and there will be no one to replace them.
In order to allow as many farmers as possible to digitise, the removal of barriers for farmers in the form of subsidies for digitisation is directly offered as one solution. The Ministry of Agriculture could offer farmers funding the purchase of individual components or the operation of the system for the first few years. Due to the availability and low purchase price, this grant title would bring a lot of music for a little money. It would certainly also help farmers if the Ministry put more pressure on insurance companies to start planting GPS mechanics with units or planting fields with meteostanices in a reduced price of premiums or easier insurance benefits. These small steps may be the beginning of a digital revolution that will await the Czech Republic sooner or later.
We therefore welcome the current initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture. I believe that Minister Toman will take the necessary steps to get as many farmers back to agriculture as possible. After all, since the Velvet Revolution, the average age of farmers has only increased, and the number of people working in the industry is falling every year. According to the available data, the number of employees should fall below 100 thousand in these years. It is precisely the use of modern technologies and the associated administrative constraints that could be the key to getting as many young people as possible into the agricultural sector. We are at a crossroads. If the government supports precision agriculture, we can move towards partial self-sufficiency and the revival of agriculture in the Czech Republic. If not, we will be completely dependent on imports within a few years.
I would like to finish this comment positively. That is why I would like to add my experience from the traditional Hanover MESSE fair. The local technology fair is where the most modern products and solutions we see in Europe collide. My colleagues and I were happy to go there (this time unconventionally in the summer term) to draw the necessary inspiration and at the same time to find out where the Czech Republic stands compared to Europe. For us, messe fair is an annual highlight where the latest solutions meet. After this year's edition, I have to say that we are among the European leaders in both hardware and software solutions. Virtually no other country in Europe has such technologically advanced companies as the Czech Republic. So why not use this know-how? That is why we would like to offer the Ministry of Agriculture a helping hand.