What is worth adopting.
WHAT IS AVAILABLE
Weather information Market price information Advisory services by message Record-keeping applications Soil testing services Irrigation control Mechanisation
WHAT TO ADOPT FIRST
Whatever addresses your actual constraint.
WHY THAT FRAMING
Technology that does not address the binding constraint changes nothing.
WHAT THE BINDING CONSTRAINT USUALLY IS
Water, labour at peak times, market access, or capital.
WHAT PRICE INFORMATION PROVIDES
The ability to sell at a better time or place.
WHY IT MATTERS
Producers selling without price knowledge accept what is offered.
WHAT WEATHER INFORMATION PROVIDES
Better timing of planting, application and harvest.
WHAT MECHANISATION PROVIDES
Timeliness, particularly at planting and harvest.
WHY TIMELINESS MATTERS
Operations done late reduce yield substantially.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH BEFORE BUYING EQUIPMENT
How many hours it would be used Whether hiring is cheaper Whether servicing and parts are available
WHY UTILISATION MATTERS
Equipment used briefly each season is expensive per hour.
WHAT TO CONSIDER
Sharing, hiring, or providing services to others.
WHAT RECORD-KEEPING TOOLS PROVIDE
The ability to know your costs per enterprise.
WHY THAT IS THE HIGHEST-VALUE ADOPTION
It changes decisions, which nothing else does.
WHAT TO BE CAUTIOUS OF
Technology promoted without evidence Equipment that cannot be serviced locally Systems requiring connectivity you do not have