The 2024 Farmer Voice Survey, a report commissioned by enterprise organization Bayer and independently conducted by data company Kynetec, provides insights from over 2,000 farmers across Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States.

The interviews, conducted in the span of a month between June and July 2024, showed that 75% of farmers are already impacted by climate change or worried about its impacts, 61% of farmers reported having experienced significant revenue loss in the past two to three years due to adverse weather, and 71% say reduced yields are a major concern.

In response to the concern, farmers count on innovation. It says that 75% are open to implementing new technologies to better cope with climate change, and many are turning to the digital world to optimize their operations. 

The survey shows that the major reason behind turning to technology is forecasting, followed by improved decision-making, and precision applications. However, the knowledge and skills gap is still a major concern for the future of many who might not have the resources to implement technology in their day-to-day to keep up with climate change. 

In fact, the report shows that nearly two-thirds of farmers express a desire for deeper understanding of artificial intelligence applications in agriculture, but many lack the monetary investment or do not have the skills, or knowledge, to work with the tools yet. 42% reported that these digital technologies are not available in their area yet. 

Many respondents are also turning to regenerative agriculture to improve their operations and expect the technique to have a positive impact in the future, both in terms of sustainability and productivity. 

The most frequently used regenerative agriculture practices are crop rotation, maintaining soil fertility, soil health monitoring, and reduced tillage. The biggest barriers are monetary investment and lack of incentives to implement the practices.

However, despite the challenges, 90% of survey participants consider farming to be a valuable career, and majority encourage future generations to pursue it.