A new survey by The Institute of Agricultural Management (IAgrM) has found that 89% of farmers believe that a return to regenerative practises can work alongside the use of agri-technology.
The survey polled 100 farmers ahead of the annual National Farm Management Conference in November and also found that 86% of farmers and industry professionals believe that cost is the biggest barrier to the use of technology on farms.
Respondents were also asked what they believed would cause the biggest disruption to agricultural and environmental management in the years ahead. 49% cited economic uncertainty, while 46% said climate change.
The majority said that they were already using regenerative practices, with 61% using minimal or no tillage, while 48% had diverse rotations, 44% had integrated livestock and 29% had constant soil cover using stubble or cover crops.
For technology, 63% used farm management software and 45% used telematics and GPS tracking. 42% are using livestock technology, and 41% are using precision agronomic support tools.
IAgrM chairman, Carl Atkin-House, said that it was interesting to see such a high percentage agree that regenerative agriculture and technology could work together.
“At this year’s National Farm Management Conference we’re planning to explore the relationship between regenerative agriculture, which often encompasses a return to the less-used traditional aspects of farming practices, and technology,” he said.
“From the survey results, it’s clear that these two could go very much hand-in-hand, as demonstrated by the vast majority of respondents believing so. But it’s clear that we need to work out how this could work in reality, with costs of technology being so high on the agenda for many.”
The National Farm Management Conference takes place at the QEII Centre, London, on the 7th of November. This year’s event is titled ‘What is the farm for? Technology v Tradition: The Future of Agricultural & Environmental Management’.
Speakers include Oxford University’s Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Sam Hall, from the Conservative Environment Network, Will Jennings, CEO of Rabobank in the UK, Martin Davies, CEO of Nuveen Natural Capital, and Aidan Connolley, from Kincannon and Reed.
For more information and to book tickets for the conference go to www.iagrm.com