The Technology Start-up: the future standard for agriculture

The technology start-up is a part of the technology for agriculture field in addition to their position in the digital

management and product development. The innovative nature of work in the field demands high levels of skills and knowledge, as well as flexibility in decision-making, making it unlikely that they will be replaced by technology.

Amongst the two representatives from the start-up there was also a high awareness of technologies and their potentials, including different types of imaging technologies for use in agriculture, but also in other fields such as healthcare and biotechnology. Luciano, the main interviewee, mentioned the potential for imaging and data analytics technologies to increase sustainability of farming, especially if it became an industry standard. This perceived potential was also linked to new types of customers, such as insurance and real estate companies to enhance their business decisions in agriculture. This perceived potential of technology is only blocked by farmers’

reluctance to adopt technology, because this hinders the start-up from testing and developing new features.

Interestingly, these uncertainties are not related to the technology itself, but rather its current target customer, reflecting their knowledge of the field.

The openness to technology in the technology for agriculture field is very high, but contingent on the fact that the technology provides a new market opportunity. In the description of how the company was born, Luciano seemed very concerned with creating something new and innovative, and reaching maturity and profitability. This indicates a need for recognition and attention by their respective communities. Being a part of the MIT bootcamp community, Luciano is strongly connected with other innovative persons and environments across the world, which could contribute to a sense of urgency in creating their own innovation. The start-up’s position in society is accelerating, but they are perceived as experimental and risky, which is hindering them from gaining the penetration and maturity they want.

Based on the experimental nature of the field, the high reliance on technology to develop the business, and the perceived potential of technologies, the technology start-up has a high motivational

access to digital technology.

6.2.2 Formal and theoretical access

The technology start-up is an important player for putting Brazil on the ‘map’ for international innovations and investments. Although they are located in large cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the team travels to meet with farmers from their personal and professional networks all across Latin America. Both Luciano and Servio expressed frustration about getting around, because despite having good access to airports in the large cities, the rural areas are lacking in infrastructure. Statements such as “You have no idea how long it takes to get to Acre”

made it clear that this was time-consuming and costly to travel to see customers. Being a start-up, there is presumably little capital and financial resources, but they claim to be through the first ‘death valley’ of the start-up lifecycle.

Both interviewees are also part of recognised academic institutions, indicating a high educational level and a steady income. It was not directly stated in the interview, but the interviewees indicated that the knowledge and skills they now have about digital agriculture comes from practice and social networks such as MIT bootcamp and academic institutions. The organisational structure, which is set up for virtual communication, allows all team members to be on-the-ground in the field, making decisions on the fly, and forging relationships with external constituents, thereby acquiring more knowledge. Networks are clearly important to the start-up, given that Luciano mentioned the MIT network numerous times, and referred to it as the birthing place of the company.

Based on their strong relational structures and flexible organisational structure, the technology start-up has high material access and skills access to digitisation technology.

6.2.3 Basic use and effective access

The technology start-up has a medium usage access to technology, because they are dependent on customers and testing to be able to use their developed imaging technology. Despite this, their experimental and entrepreneurial mindset allows them to justify taking risks for the good of the business. Through their networks in product design and business, the two interviewees have positive associations with the application of technologies, also in other industries. Their future orientation is strong, reflected in their 2024 goal for standardisation of their imaging technology. Environmental resources facilitate the start-ups usage access through government’s lack of knowledge and intervention in the agricultural industry. With reference to the director of innovation, appointed by the current government, the interviewee said that he was “not able to understand anything”, explaining that this was useful because he was not resisting any suggestions put before him. Rather than see this lack of direction as an obstacle for the growth of their business, the start-up perceived it as a market opportunity.

The relational and societal influences on the technology start-up result a medium usage access to technology.

6.2.4 Meaningful engagement

The technology start-up’s interaction with digital technology has positively influenced their ability to participate in political, savings, consumption, and social activities. The start-up communicates a certainty that technology can be applied to benefit the agricultural industry, indicating little ambiguity of technology application. Their approach to developing technology involves engaging with it in a meaningful way, together with their customers. Luciano explained how they went into the field and spent almost four years with a farmer, first exploring sources of useful information for the farmer, then staying on to test the developed technology, and finally trying to convince other farmers to get on board. A statement that captures their approach was: “We tried everywhere things. And we

The technology start-up was the actor with the highest levels of meaningful engagement with digital technology, because of their innovative approach to apply and embed technology.