About 75 per cent of farmers are already impacted by climate change or worried about its impacts, and 71 per cent of them report reduced yields as a major concern, according to the 2024 Farmer Voice survey. The survey conducted by global market research firm Kynetec, on behalf of Bayer, among 2000 farmers across countries such as Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Kenya, Ukraine and the United States.
The survey reveals that six out of 10 have already experienced significant revenue loss to weather events out of the norm recently. As part of the solution, farmers count on innovation with 75 percent are open to implementing new technologies to better cope with climate change. Desire for better yields, resilient farms, and protected livelihoods are driving interest and adoption of more regenerative and technological approaches to farming.
Specific to India, the survey revealed that pest attack leading to crop loss was the primary concern of the Indian farmers with 41 per cent of those surveyed reported threat of crop damage from pests, leading to higher spends on farmer.
Volatile weather is a major concern and difficult to handle for 36 per cent of those surveyed, while most Indian farmers believe that they should be heard and recognised more. Nine out of 10 farmers felt that they have a crucial role in ensuring food security and hence should be heard more, the Survey said.
Rising Costs, labour availability a key challenge
Increase in crop protection costs with rise in prices of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides was the top challenge faced by 36 per cent of those surveyed, while 32 per cent felt the rising costs and availability of labour. Among other top challenges faced by farmers in Indian include price income volatility, fertiliser costs, energy and seed costs, access to information and education about new techniques. Negative public perception of farmers, access to new technologies and market access were among the other challenges.
High cost barrier for tech adoption
Climate change is quite worrisome to farmers to Indian farmers, with nearly all of them have either already experienced its negative impact or foresee it in near future. Majority farmers link associate it with increased pest pressure resulting in reduced yields and lower crop quality. Eight out of 10 farmers are willing to change farming practices adn adpat new technologies to mitigate the negative impact of it. Despite current low uptake of digital technologies, most farmers have shown strong itnerest in adopting it. Key drivers for adoption are increased profits, reduced costs, though investment requirements an accessibility remain significant barriers.
The survey also revealed that while most Indian farmers practice regenerative agriculture with a focus on soil health, lack of knowledge and clarity hinders broader adoption. Despite high adoption, a third of them are not aware of the term ‘regenerative agriculture’. About 80 per cent of farmers use at least 4-5 regenerative agriculture practic. Soil health remains the main focus of the farmers through regnerative agriculture, while higher yields are a secondary benefit.
Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President of the Crop Science Division, said: “The Farmer Voice study underlines that farmers continue to face accelerating economic and environmental challenges in their important work – providing food to the world. They want innovation to help them do their jobs better, and an environment in which they can increasingly turn towards regenerative practices making food systems more resilient – to the benefit of the planet, food security, and their livelihoods alike.”
“One of the most pressing questions is how we can meet the demands of protecting the planet, producing enough food and making sure that farmers can make a living out of their operations,” said Rodrigo Santos. “One answer to this lies in the concept of regenerative agriculture. To us this means increasing food production, farm incomes and resilience in a changing climate while renewing nature. This evolution will require a joint effort of farmers, society and businesses.” And farmers have already begun that journey. Over 90 percent of them are using at least one regenerative farming practice in their operations.