Attityder till implementering av precisionsodlingsteknik

Abstract: Different techniques for precision agriculture have been available during the last decade. Some of them are more widely used than others. The main purpose of this thesis was to investigate the different attitudes to precision agriculture that exists among farmers and advisors in Sweden. Eight advisors and sixteen farmers were asked for their opinion of a number of specific techniques for precision agriculture, such as yield-mapping, precision liming, the Yara Nitrogen Sensor and site-specific fertilization with phosphorous and potassium. They were also asked to describe the way in which the counselling in Swedish agriculture is used and also about it's importance for the adaptation of new techniques. The high costs are mentioned to be one of the most important reasons why precision agriculture hasn't been more widely spread. Several farmers refer to their farms as too small to bear the costs that come with the techniques. The individual interest for technique among the potential users plays an important role. A person who is very interested in the techniques is more inclined to use it himself or to recommend it to others. The farmers and advisors interviewed in this thesis mention precision liming and auto steering as the most interesting techniques to adapt at this point. Some farmers have used the Yara Nsensor with good results, while others don't really see the benefits with the technique. Yieldmapping seems to be regarded as the least beneficial technique according to the interviews. Most farmers were positive to site-specific measures such as liming within fields, but did this manually without GPS-equipment. The counselling organisations don't give recommendations about investments in new techniques to any large extent. The advisors request more relevant information and knowledge of precision agriculture techniques, before recommending them to their clients. Also the farmers want to know more about the actual benefits of the techniques. Still, the farmers have confidence in their advisors' competence. The counselling plays an important role as a sounding board for most of the farmers. Those of the farmers who have already applied some of the precision agriculture techniques demand a more developed technical support for the different systems used. Several of the now available techniques are mentioned as yet too uncertain to function properly. This fact decreases the interest among farmers to apply those specific techniques. Specific techniques should perhaps be evaluated by a few users before they reach the common market. Research and advertising of these techniques could maybe be posed in a way that more obviously shows the benefits associated with the same.