Although agritech businesses are gradually deploying technological solutions, the lack of skills needed to take advantage of the technology is proving to be a possible stumbling block for development in the sector.
These are the findings of recent research commissioned by Inmarsat, which found that 46% of 100 large agritech businesses interviewed reported full deployment of IOT solutions, and a further 16% have initiated a partial IOT deployment, but many lack the skills needed to do so effectively.
According to the report, agritech businesses require an uplift in skills at the strategic level, as more than 60% of agritech businesses surveyed need additional skilled employees to take full advantage of opportunities offered by tech developments.
"While globally 62% of agritech respondents are already exploring machine learning technology and 50% are looking at cognitive artificial intelligence, there is an urgent need to upskill current employees and embark on recruitment drives to ensure they have the capabilities to deliver the technology. To be more specific, 55% of agritech companies reported a shortage in cyber security personnel, with analytical and data science skills coming in second in demand at 53%," stated the report.
Chris Harry-Thomas, director of sector development agriculture at Inmarsat, says technology such as IOT is improving efficiency and precision of farmers globally. "With the digital transformation in full swing, many traditionally mechanical-physical industries, such as agriculture, find themselves in a race to recruit digital specialists to support their technological ambitions. Competing with the likes of Silicon Valley tech companies for skilled staff will be a challenge for the agritech industry, but as these businesses look to take on the burden of data security to build market share in the agriculture sector, it is critical that they recruit staff with the capability to do so. The automation of these processes is reducing the need for manual intervention on the ground, but creating new requirements for staff skilled in areas such as data analysis and cyber security which, as we have seen from our research, the industry is currently lacking."
Reshaad Sha, CEO at SqwidNet and chief strategy officer at Dark Fibre Africa, agrees, adding that farmers need to find better and more efficient ways of growing food, increasing their yield and reducing the risks of crop failure.
Howard Blight, CEO of Agricolleges International, an online cloud-based e-learning institution, says both education and agriculture are in need of transformation on the African continent. "Agri-e is the way forward. By revolutionising the way that agri-education is delivered in Africa we can build the skills and knowledge of people in the sector."
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