Re:How Computer Vision Is Changing Agriculture in 2023
by baremetal on Tuesday January 31, 2023 @08:21AM
(#34594684)
>* Most farmers have zero interest in emissions, sustainability, soil quality etc. They don't think about anything past the next harvest.
I know quite a few farmers, and I also own a farm. We do have quite an interest in soil quality and sustainability. We understand you cannot tax the land over and over again and expect to have a good harvest 10 years from now. Crop rotation, soil testing, regenerative agriculture, and composting are big themes amongst the [industrial scale] farmers I know. I am a small fry, and those issues are even more important for me.
Big corporations that operate farms are another story however.
Re:How Computer Vision Is Changing Agriculture in 2023
by jamarks13 on Friday February 03, 2023 @12:41PM
(#34644770)
I feel like one of the coolest parts about AgTech, including computer vision, is how it is helping align economic incentives and climate/sustainability. It is making a lot of practices that are better for the environment the obvious choice!
* Farming is heavily protected and subsidised. So there is no reason to take risks by trying anything new.
* Farms already overproduce. There is no actual market for more food.
* Farmers have a very conservative, anti-change, culture.
* What market forces are applied are all about getting things as standard as possible. Supermarkets want 1m identical apples that are all the right colour. Your apples tasting better is worthless. And if the change to make them taste 100x better makes them 1 shade to light or dark, they're unsellable.
* Most farmers have zero interest in emissions, sustainability, soil quality etc. They don't think about anything past the next harvest.
* Because of the above factors, there is little profit in farming. That means there is little cash for investments in change and anyone entrepreneurial or profit motivated left the industry long ago.
I am not saying farmers are bad people. I am just saying that trying to bring innovative tech to people who do not want it is going to be an uphill battle and tech people always seem surprised they're not welcomed with open arms...