The worldwide pandemic has forced most companies to approach business differently and agriculture is no exception. The so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution has been ushered in, whether we are ready or not.
With several major agricultural shows postponed or cancelled, John Deere Sub-Saharan Africa realised that it still needed to communicate with the agricultural community about its services and products, but also about the broader industry.
Stephan Nel, Marketing Manager of John Deere Sub-Saharan Africa says the company wants to play a central role in conveying knowledge to the industry.
That is why Tech Terrain was created.
The revolutionary online programme, TechTerrain, will explore several weekly topics affecting growth and sustainability in the agricultural sector. “The TechTerrain talk show creates the opportunity for us to produce an insightful show for all farmers who subscribe to our vision as John Deere, and the role we see ourselves playing in the sector,” says Nel.
“Our vision for Africa is to be a driver of food security, but we cannot achieve this alone and we must play a central role where we combine the knowledge and experience of different role players in the industry, including farmers, to reach new heights.
“Technology is central to our vision to not only bring more areas into production but also to drive productivity in existing farming operations, by increasing yields and lowering costs as much as possible,” says Nel.
Jacques Taylor, Managing Director of John Deere Sub-Saharan Africa says Tech Terrain offers a media platform where it can bring industry experts, John Deere technology and the John Deere products together, package the message and information in a way that the market can easily access and use to unlock more value across the agricultural production systems.
“Given the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, we had to look at different ways to connect with the market and still be able to bring information and value to our customers, despite the fact that face-to-face interactions are limited,” Taylor says.
Agricultural technology is highly advanced, and it can seem overwhelming. Tech Terrain – in English presented by Tony Ndoro and in Afrikaans by Theo Vorster – promises to be a pioneering programme on how essential the latest technology is for the modern agricultural business. Tech Terrain is however not only about technology, but also the bigger factors influencing the industry. Top experts in their respective fields will share their insights every week.
Tech Terrain will be available online from 25 June 2020 at www.techterrain.co.za and viewers only have to register to get access to all the content. New episodes with new themes will be released weekly, with bonus material for those who wish to explore more.
Tech Terrain is powered by John Deere, in collaboration with Farmer’s Weekly and Brand Republic.
