Bitkom CEO Dr. Bernhard Rohleder adds: “Fighting climate change and reducing environmental pollution are a big challenge: we cannot tackle them without digitization. If sensors, for example, accurately determine the needs of plants and therefore apply fertilizers and crop protection agents accurately, if irrigation is more accurate and saves water, this not only protects the environment and the weather, it also saves money and resources. " At the same time, 77 percent of farmers see it. Climate change as a great threat to agriculture. Almost all (97 percent) state that they pay attention to sustainability and climate protection in their company.

Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of companies basically see digitization as an opportunity. 64 percent emphasize that this could reduce costs in the long term. However, digitization is a major challenge for more than every second farmer (58 percent). 40 percent also see a shortage of digitally savvy employees, and 17 percent even consider digitization a risk. Farmers perceive the investment costs associated with digitization as disadvantageous (92 percent). There is also serious concern about hacker attacks and IT security (84 percent).

Almost all companies (95 percent) are prepared to provide digitally collected operational data under certain conditions, for example, so that damage to farm machinery can be recognized and repaired early (84 percent) if bureaucratic effort could be reduced (82 percent) or if this would support scientific research projects for the benefit of agriculture (76 percent).

From the farmers' point of view, digitization also ensures greater transparency towards the consumer: 88 percent of respondents say this. However, far fewer farmers use digital technologies to actively target consumers. Every fourth farmer (24 percent) is active on social media, every fifth (19 percent) has his own website. 16 percent offer online traceability "from farm to plate", and one in ten (10 percent) installed webcams in the barn or in the field. 9 percent market their products through their own stores or digital farm platforms. “Farmers can use the Internet to provide a wide range of knowledge about food production and production, thereby creating a link to food for the consumer. It can start small with a webcam in the stable or in the field, or be comprehensive with fully transparent traceability, in the future, for example, via blockchain. This builds consumer confidence, "said Bitkom Rohleder general manager. When asked about future scenarios for the year 2030, 65 percent view webcams in all stables as either widespread or fairly widespread. . 52 percent believe that with the help of sensors, nitrate contamination of groundwater will be completely over by then. 46 percent expect autonomous field robots to independently detect or control weeds, diseases or pests, and 38 percent think driverless farm machines will be used in the fields completely independently. "However, in order to meet these future expectations, politicians still have some homework to do. This is also shown in the results. of the survey when 95 percent of respondents ask for mobile and broadband expansion nationwide in areas rural and 89 percent want geographic, equipment and weather data to be provided free of charge in a user-friendly way, "said DBV Secretary General Bernhard Krüsken.

These data are based on a survey carried out by Bitkom Research on behalf of the Bitkom digital association, the German Farmers Association and the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank. In February and March 2020, 500 farmers were surveyed with farms of 30 ha in the west and 100 ha in the east, from Germany.