Farmer of the future

Custom-fit solutions for the modern farmer

We believe the key factors to farmers’ success will remain the same in the future: passion, independence and entrepreneurship. But the demands on agriculture will continue to change as digital transformation advances.

At the same time, sustainability requirements and shifting consumer needs are gaining more and more attention. These changes will require farmers to acquire even more specific know-how and entrepreneurial skills.

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Fig.: An important field of innovation for us: connectivity in agriculture.
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Fig.: KWS develops digital consulting and services for cultivation planning.
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Fig.: KWS studies the use of proteins from traditional crops for food production.

Connectivity

Good connectivity will become even more essential for the increasingly automated farms of the future. Our involvement in the development of 5G networks aims to accelerate real-time machine monitoring and management to enable farmers’ transition to new and different ways of working and to keep them well connected. KWS is also a member of such organizations as the agrirouter consortium (agrirouter | agrirouter powered by Agricultural Industry), which help farmers connect to our services and simplify data transfer between manufacturers of machines and agricultural software.

Automated, technology-supported work environment

Achieving a good work-life balance and effectively handling labor shortages will continue to be challenges for farmers of the future. Well-managed digitalization and automation solutions can serve an important role in helping farmers address these challenges. At KWS, we are increasing our data modelling capacity so we can provide more digital farming solutions that respond to the needs of farmers of the future.

On the digital platform myKWS farmers can access KWS’s diverse, ever-growing set of tools and services that optimize crop planning. myKWS - KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA

Environmental and social sustainability in business models

Identifying new business models and adapting to changing market requirements are growing in importance for farmers of the future. At KWS, we are actively creating marketing tools that benefit both farmers and the environment. One initial tool provides data about the carbon footprint of certain crop varieties to enable farmers to choose the variety with the lowest carbon footprint and obtain information about the variety’s benefits in terms of carbon avoidance.

Another trend we expect to emerge is the increasing importance of plant-based high-nutrition food. In response, KWS has launched the Nutritional Food Ingredients initiative to study the use of functional proteins from traditional crops in sustainable plant-based foods and supply chains. Nutritional Food Ingredients - KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA

And in the area of animal welfare, KWS hybrid rye provides an example of how we have developed a crop variety that combines a low carbon footprint with improved animal health and welfare. Rye in pig feeding - KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA

Tech Team
Digital product development

Whether in the field, in the greenhouse or in the laboratory. Digital solutions are in demand everywhere. Our digital product development team specializes in generating valuable knowledge from data and developing useful digital applications from it. The goal is to make our plant breeding even more efficient in all its facets. But not only our plant breeding: We also develop digital tools and services that support farmers with tailormade recommendations - from sowing to harvest.

Interested? Learn more about our many job opportunities and join the team!