The Extremaduran tobacco sector has come under scrutiny. The first phase of the Digital Growers program, promoted by Philip Morris Spain together with the Scientific and Technological Research Center of Extremadura (CICYTEX), has completed the digital diagnosis of 45 tobacco farms in the region and returns an x-ray with two planes. The starting point is modest. The predisposition to change, massive.
Up to 98% of farmers would be willing to invest in digital solutions if conditions are favorable, according to data collected in Talayuela, where the report was presented. The cost of the initial investment appears as the main brake identified.
Today, 72% of farms acknowledge being in an initial phase of digitalization and only 9% reach advanced levels. The mobile phone is now part of everyday life for basic tasks, checking the weather, talking to suppliers or reading agronomic information. The tools to plan irrigation, manage fertilization or analyze data, however, remain a pending issue.
The report also draws the profile of the grower. 70% of the farmers are under 44 years old, a fact that the program interprets as a lever to ensure the continuity of cultivation and the establishment of employment in the tobacco-growing regions of Extremadura. There is also a positive relationship between the size of the farm and the degree of digitalization, since larger farms incorporate technology more frequently.
Specialized software has a residual presence. The use of agricultural GPS reaches 32% of farms, almost always associated with machinery with guidance or self-guiding systems. Agricultural drones are concentrated on the largest farms and are still a minority.
Irrigation and fertilization, the priorities
Asked where technology can add more value, growers have clear ideas. 91% point to irrigation and fertilization management, followed by pest and disease control (59%) and harvest optimization (43%).
Training appears as a bottleneck. 77% of farmers have not received specific training in digital tools applied to agriculture. Added to this lack are the lack of specialized technical support, connectivity difficulties in certain areas and the initial investment itself.
To respond to these needs, Philip Morris Spain and CICYTEX have designed a training program, already taught to participants, articulated in three modules: basic digitalization and decision making in irrigation, data-based fertigation and input optimization, and advanced digital integration and profitability.
“The digital transformation of the agricultural sector is an opportunity to move towards more efficient and sustainable models”says Cesare Trippella, director of value chain and external relations at Philip Morris for Europe. The manager frames the initiative in the company’s commitment to the region, where it invests around 33 million euros per year, and presents it as a tool to attract new generations to rural areas and promote generational change.
This first edition of the project was born with the aim of continuity to accompany the Extremaduran tobacco sector in its long-term digitalization process.