Prospects for digitizing Ukraine's agriculture: the integration of technology doesn't always align with the overall economic prosperity of the nation.

A recent study conducted by the educational and analytical platform AGGEEK revealed that more than half of the 50 innovative agricultural companies surveyed in Ukraine utilize digital technologies across various aspects of their operations, including crop management, telematics, and production planning.

This is discussed on the AGGEEK website.

Digital services enable the selection of the most appropriate action algorithms based on the hybrid and pesticides used, specific field parameters, and local agro-climatic zone characteristics, allowing farmers to maximize the potential of their crops.

The implementation of digital technologies in agriculture varies significantly between Ukraine and the EU, reflecting the different structures of their agricultural sectors. In Ukraine, where large agricultural enterprises dominate, there is a high demand for comprehensive management systems integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. These systems facilitate daily coordination among all departments of agricultural enterprises, optimizing operations on a large scale.

In EU countries, where family-run agriculture prevails, there is a preference for user-friendly agronomic decision-support services that somewhat replace agronomist consultants for farmers, providing valuable insights such as disease forecasting and recommendations for variable-rate fertilization.

"Across Europe, our Cropwise digital services are integrated on approximately 40 million hectares of cultivated land," says Feroz Sheikh, Chief Information and Digital Technology Officer at Syngenta, a global leader in agricultural technology. "In Ukraine alone, we are approaching 9 million hectares, indicating the rapid adoption of digital agri-tech in the country."

By utilizing innovative technologies, farmers can significantly reduce resource consumption, time, and labor costs through precise problem identification and targeted solutions.

"Newer digital technologies allow for more efficient and economically smarter operations," says Dmytro Shemet, Executive Director of Cropwise Operations. "For instance, by creating a specific task for a sprayer to apply products only to the areas of the field that need it, theoretically, only 20% of the entire field can be treated, with costs amounting to $7–10 instead of $35-40 per hectare."

According to him, in today's realities, managing an agribusiness without digital tools is impossible. There is a peak demand for precision agriculture services and artificial intelligence-based decision support systems in the industry. "Therefore, I would say that digitalization is a necessity without which an agricultural enterprise simply will not be competitive," asserts Shemet.

The level of technology integration in agriculture does not always correlate with the overall economic well-being of the country. "The primary factor," explains Feroz Sheikh, "is the farmer's mindset—his openness to innovation and willingness to experiment, even if it only concerns pilot projects."

The attitude towards technology and readiness to take risks play a crucial role in the digital transformation of agriculture, potentially allowing developing economies to leapfrog in implementing agricultural technologies if farmers are open to change.

Note. Cropwise is a multi-platform that encompasses a comprehensive portfolio of services addressing nearly the entire range of agricultural business tasks, helping to optimize and streamline agricultural operations through the integration of data, resources, and decision-making tools that enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of enterprises.

Currently, a program called Spray Assist is being prepared for launch in the Ukrainian market, which will provide recommendations on the optimal timing for pesticide application, alert about potential weather risks, and suggest the best options to minimize possible losses of working solution and ensure more effective and safe pesticide application for the environment and personnel.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that the European biopesticide market is expected to reach $3 billion by 2030, demonstrating a stable growth rate of 8–10% annually.