From hesitation to innovation: Driving agritech adoption in Australia

Australian producers are hailed as some of the most tech-savvy in the world, but there’s still much more to be done to break down barriers and drive broader agritech adoption.

Despite a recent Roy Morgan study finding that 89% of Australian producers already use or would consider using agritech on their property, real-world challenges remain.

My father-in-law, a farmer from North West NSW, and retired ag teacher, resisted water monitoring technology and solar until recently, reflecting the need for stronger support and incentives to push innovation beyond curiosity into everyday practice.

He’s living proof that technology like farm management software is widely accepted, but perceived costs and lack of understanding keep many farmers from adoption. Feedback from producers participating in AgriFutures Australia’s Producer Technology Uptake Program supports this, suggesting the top three barriers to adoption are: agritech performance, producer’s digital capabilities and capacity (including knowledge, skills, confidence and attitude) and return on investment.

When my husband and I bought our first piece of farmland last year, investing in water monitoring technology was a no-brainer. Living 30 minutes away, we needed to keep tabs on things remotely, and within a year, the system paid for itself.

The Farmbot detected a steady drop in our water tank levels, signalling a leak that would have otherwise gone unnoticed – potentially leading to costly dehydrated cattle. This experience made my father-in-law consider his own reluctance to invest in monitoring technology. Now more than ever that he is keen to leave the farm particularly to visit grandchildren he is beginning to see the value first-hand.

It is not only cost, but also confusion that are major hurdles. We need to push the sector to explore, and de-risk the opportunities for producers to trial and experience these technologies and their benefits.

AgriFutures has been doing just that with the Producer Technology Uptake Program since 2021, which allows producer groups to test, demonstrate, and share outcomes through peer-to-peer learning. The end goal is to increase producer’s capacity to adopt technology – successfully.

The majority of producers and grower groups said these shared learning exercises increased their trust in agritech, and their willingness to share knowledge over the farm fence and at the dinner table.

Conversations with trusted advisors – whether neighbours, bank managers, or agronomists – carry more weight than any marketing campaign. A 2021 Nielsen study found that 88% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends, family, and their trusted advisors over all other forms of advertising.

Innovators need to take note: education and open dialogue are key factors in driving the adoption of these technologies.

Programs like Round Two of the On-Farm Connectivity Program are steps in the right direction, helping to increase technology access and de-risk investments for producers.

But with the world demanding more sustainable agricultural practices, the pressure is on to adopt technologies that not only improve productivity but also help disclose climate impacts.

If Australia wants to stay ahead in global agriculture, we need to embrace and thrive in the face of change.

The recent ‘Navigating a future of cross-sectoral forces’ report by AgriFutures and Tenacious Ventures underscores this urgency.

Without sector-wide technology adoption, Australia risks falling behind and being cut out of key markets.

The old mantra of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” won’t cut it anymore. We have the chance to lead the way in agritech, but only if we give producers the tools and confidence to make that leap.