A new survey conducted by Cargill shows consumers believe technology advancements in agriculture are key to feed a growing population, but only about half of the respondents want their food to come from a technologically-advanced farm.
The survey, conducted with 3,000 participants across three continents, showed farming ranks third of where consumers want to see technology used, behind medicine and education but above defense, manufacturing, and retail and food.
Sri Raj Kantamneni, managing director of Cargill’s digital business, said the survey illustrates challenges in communicating changes in agriculture. He said “agriculture is still the least digitalized industry sector in the world. That means there's a lot of opportunity — and a lot of need — for greater investment in ag-tech. This survey highlights that in order to help humanity benefit from these advancements, we first need to do a better job of explaining the value of new technologies to consumers."
According to the survey data, South Korea was most receptive to ag technology; France was the least.
None of the innovations Cargill explored in the survey enjoyed acceptance of more than 50% of respondents. Field sensors enjoyed the greatest level of support (42%), 35% said they were OK with artificial insemination, and 18% said they would “embrace feed containing genetically modified ingredients,” according to the company.
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