Sensing in Agriculture: How Can Technology Developers Drive Adoption?

For technology developers targeting sensing in agriculture, there are many options including soil sensing, equipment sensing, environmental sensing, and technologies to sense the crops themselves. The approaches are varied and measure widely different parameters. Adoption in the industry has been faltering to date. Developers have failed to create viable sales models that fit grower budgets. Many are targeting growers directly, with data to show the positive impacts associated with using their technologies, including increased yields, higher quality produce, and reduced input costs. However, many prices are incongruent with available grower capital, stifling technology adoption. This analysis uses three case studies to examine how affordability and available grower margins impact sensor-based technology adoption in agriculture. Driving adoption will be a challenge, but rather than abandon the space, developers will need to become savvier in their approaches, using business models that appeal to grower risk aversion while enabling sufficient monetization of the technologies.