Modern agriculture requires specific skills. More than basic soft skills, farmers need to be able to work with technology, exercise climate resilience and execute business strategies. Identifying what these skills are and understanding where you have areas that need improvement is your first step to bringing your best self to your business.
Beyond understanding how to plant, irrigate and harvest, or how to take care of various stock breeds, farmers need to learn additional skills that will help them flourish on the farm of the future. The modern farmer is an entrepreneur and environmental activist who blends their industry knowledge (expertise about their specific crop or livestock) with the advancements that bring about improvements for businesses and consumers.
This article explores essential skills that every agri-entrepreneur needs.
6 Essential Skills for Modern Farmers
1. Entrepreneurial Skills
A farm should be run like a business, and successful producers understand this. For this reason, they practice sound financial management. This translates into understanding budgeting, cash flow management, cost of production, and pricing strategies. Another key factor of financial management is the ability to analyse financial data and accurately use that information to make informed decisions.
In addition to the above mentioned elements, entrepreneurial skills for farmers may also include in-depth knowledge about operating within complex value chains. From identifying value-adding opportunities, diversifying income streams, and building marketable brands, farmers need to grasp how these individual moving parts fit and work together.
Closely related to this is the ability to conduct market analysis and risk management. Markets fluctuate, and consumer preferences evolve. Understanding the dynamics in this relationship allows the business owner to mitigate risks and adapt where needed.
Lastly, entrepreneurship also requires the farmer to be a skilled manager and leader who not only supervises staff but also instils a strong sense of direction and an atmosphere of teamwork.
2. Digital Skills
Technology is increasingly becoming the foundation of most businesses. Even in agriculture, where the business is a collaboration between man and nature, technology is key to improving productivity, efficiency and profitability.
Tools such as sensors, GPS mapping, mobile apps, and farm management software to guide decisions on irrigation, pest control, and financial planning have become the norm, specifically for precision agriculture. Whether you are investing in a new pivot or tractor, you will also be informed of the digital support it provides you. Even agronomists provide support in mobile applications!
Because the sector is increasingly data-driven, digital literacy has become a foundational competency. Without it, farmers might not be able to optimise fertiliser applications, minimise water waste during irrigation, and improve their yield.
However, digital skills are not used in a silo. They are used in conjunction with managerial duties to manage the farm better, as well as technical agricultural knowledge to be a more productive producer, especially in the form of the above mentioned agri-tech.
3. Technical Agricultural Skills
Farming for the future on a modern, tech-integrated farm doesn’t mean that agri-entrepreneurs should let technical knowledge of agriculture fall by the wayside. Hands-on farming practices will always be the centre of an agribusiness. Although it is vital to adopt tech tools, it shouldn’t be a replacement for the knowledge of skill that anchor the industry.
The knowledge includes soil health management, such as understanding soil structure, fertility, and compaction, and crop production, such as harvesting and planting cycles. For stock farmers, it pertains to animal husbandry, breeding techniques and disease prevention, such as bio-security.
It is also imperative that, regardless of the type of operation you have, water conservation practices are central to what you do.
4. Adaptability and Lifelong Learning
Before you ask, yes. Adaptability is a skill. Humans are amazing; they have the ability to adapt to an array of situations, but it is vital when you are a farmer. Not only do you need to adapt to daily challenges, but those that deliver you to the fickleness of nature. Drought, floods, frost, and runaway wildfires are just some of the natural disasters that agri-entrepreneurs need to deal with and adjust to.
What’s more, continuously adapting to new industry advancements also allows you to remain at the forefront of agricultural developments and stay competitive. This is much easier if you also adopt a mindset of lifelong learning. It not only helps you to actively seek out new knowledge, but also allows you to embrace new technologies and farming methodologies.
5. Climate Intelligence
Just like emotional intelligence is a skill, so is climate intelligence, which is often also called “climate smart”. It forms part of being a sustainable business that is environmentally responsible.
In the past, agriculture has gotten a bad reputation for inflicting harm on the environment with unsustainable practices like over-grazing, over-tilling the soil, and using harmful pesticides. Now, especially with regenerative agriculture, farmers are intensely aware of the impact they have on the environment – or they should be.
Increasing pressures from climate change demand that farmers develop this vital skill. You must understand weather data, interpret seasonal forecasts, manage climate risk and apply regenerative practices that improve soil health and carbon sequestration.
6. Systems Thinking as a Skill for Farmers
Systems thinking is a way to strategise on a broad scale. It takes a holistic approach to analysis that focuses on the interaction of the different parts of a system. It can encourage innovation and make a business more strategic.
Any business is a system with interconnecting departments and functions, but a farm business is even more complex. You have to consider elements such as soil health, animal welfare, water use, labour, markets and technology.
An agricultural entrepreneur needs to be able to execute whole-farm planning, integrated production systems and long-term scenario thinking as it supports better decision-making when introducing new technologies or practices, reducing the risk of unintended consequences.
Additionally, it helps to make the business more efficient and profitable as you are able to understand what effect one change will have on another section of the business.
Good News! Skill Can Be Learnt
Aspiring farmers or agricultural entrepreneurs who have noted that they are missing some key skills can acquire these. Agricultural education through accredited training centres and reputable training institutions offers various programmes, but it would be worth investigating which ones offer learners courses that cover digital literacy and using data effectively.
Armed with these skills, entrepreneurs operating in agriculture can grow a business that continuously improves with new technologies. It prepares farmers for the future of agriculture and equips them to prosper.
