Digital technologies are shaping the future of agriculture

Agriculture in transition: man-technology-future

22.10.2024

On October 10, 2024, the networking event "Agriculture in Transition: Human-Technology Future" took place at the Landsberg am Lech Agricultural Education Center. Organized by the Competence Network Digital Agriculture Bavaria (KNeDL) at Bayern Innovativ in cooperation with the Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV), the event offered a unique platform to discuss the latest developments and trends in agriculture. Over 150 participants from agriculture, research, education, start-ups and interested experts took advantage of the free event to exchange ideas and network.

Agriculture is facing major changes made possible by digital technologies and innovative approaches. The event provided a practical demonstration of how these technologies can improve everyday life and efficiency on farms. Stephan Bissinger, Swabian BBV district president and chairman of the specialist group for research, innovation and digitalization, emphasized: "We want to really step on the gas when it comes to digitalization: The digital possibilities in agriculture are diverse and often already a reality on our fields and in our barns." The aim is to make practical experience visible and pass it on. Christian Metz, Head of KNeDL at Bayern Innovativ, also emphasized the importance of the topic: "Our aim is to show and disseminate how digital technologies are successfully used in practice. What experience has been gained so far? Which solutions are suitable for my business?"

In his keynote speech,Dr. Christian Dürnberger from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna emphasized that society tends to prefer to perceive agriculture as traditional and distant from technology. However, agriculture has long benefited from digitalization - whether in terms of relieving the burden of time-consuming tasks or increasing efficiency in day-to-day operations. "Technical innovations and progress in agriculture do not have to contradict the great values of environmental protection, climate protection and animal welfare. On the contrary - there is incredible potential here. We need new images in people's minds about agriculture," says Dr. Christian Dürnberger.

Practical reports and innovative start-ups

Farmers such as Maximilian Hagn from Lower Bavaria and Kilian Kellerer from Upper Bavaria as well as Stefan Froschmeir, Managing Director of Birkenschwaige BioAgrikultur, presented concrete examples of how digital solutions - from agricultural software to field robotics - are used on their farms. In addition, innovative start-ups such as agrantis GmbH, Agvolution GmbH, Yield Experts, NutriSen, RoKo Farming and UNIO Enterprise presented their technologies that are revolutionizing agriculture - from process optimization to vertical farming.

Discussion on knowledge transfer in digital agriculture

Another item on the program was the panel discussion on how farmers can gain knowledge about digital technologies. Elisa Bauer, young farmer, Thomas Wiedemann, Head of the Agricultural Machinery School, Gunther Strobl, Director of Qualification and Education at BBV and Martin Hirt, Head of Department, Digitalization and Sustainable Farm Development, Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, discussed this with the audience.

Shaping the future together

At the end of the event, there was room for in-depth discussions in the exhibition, where modern technologies and innovative solutions were presented in a practical way. Participants were able to find out about current trends in agricultural education and network in order to tackle the challenges of modern agriculture together. Thomas Wiedemann, Head of the Agricultural Machinery School, concluded: "The future generation of young farmers will invest more in digitalization and also use it."
The event "Agriculture in transition: the future of people and technology" showed that digitalization has long since arrived in agriculture. It was also a valuable platform for paving new paths for the future of the industry.