Introduction
Within a rapid growth of population, increased scarcity of resources, as well as dramatic climate changes, the agricultural sector is currently facing a number of challenges. These are essential issues to consider since they might jeopardize the natural resources, ecosystems, and livelihoods in general. The impacts on agronomics may lead to economic and social outcomes, and affect nutrition security within its core dimensions, including “food accessibility, food availability, food utilization, and food systems’ stability” (Ramasamy et al., 2017, p. 17). Objects and sensors with access to the Internet can be supplied anywhere for the information gathering on humidity level and crop health.
Therefore, data can be available to farmers via tablets and smartphones due to manual and automated options. Thompson (2019) states that the application of drones (UAVs) in agriculture, specifically in the United Kingdom, can promote the enhancement of the crops and reduce the usage of pesticides. According to Puri et al. (2017, p. 510), the agriculture drones are beneficial for “agriculture farm analysis, time saving, higher agricultural yield, GIS mapping integration, and imaging of crop health Status.” Based on the estimation of Grand View Research, the commercial scale for the agricultural drones is expected to “exceed USD 3770 million by 2024” (Patel, 2018, para. 15). However, the drone system enforcement is currently facing strict British laws due to its potential threat to life and ethical issues.
Analysis of the External Macro and Micro Environment of Agriculture
In terms of changes in the external environment, one should consider the political, economic, social, technological, legislative, and environmental changes, which is known as PESTLE analysis. According to the PESTLE analysis report of the UK, the agricultural sector decreased by a mean rate of 2.67% during 2002-14, with agrarian output reached GBP9.56 billion ($15.51 billion) in 2014 (MarketLine, 2015). Agriculture in the United Kingdom is a labour-intensive and highly mechanised sector, which produces 60% of nutrition needs with under 1.6% of the workforce. Agriculture in the UK is a highly technological industry, which engages only 1.4% of the population. This geographical region has a high population density and a comparative lack of land. With that said, only a third part of gross output is involved in arable farming.
With regard to the opportunities and threats concerning different stakeholders, they might be involved in the inventory stage of the project. This includes the ministries of agriculture, farmers associations, crop production boards, and farmers’ cooperatives and unions, commercial pesticide users, the pesticide industry, and others. The importance of stakeholders varies by country and can also be impacted by the extent of the project. As such, the extent limitation might as well limit the number of stakeholders interested in the project. The expansion of the scope by involving available pesticide and outdated stocks in agriculture requires the broadening of the list of stakeholders and clear determination of their roles during project implementation.
Conclusion: Advice to BEA19 Technologies Ltd.
The key forces that may impact BEA19 entering the agriculture market involve the political, economic, and societal sectors. To be more specific, the weakening relations with the European Union, lack of skilled personnel, regulatory control over indigenous innovations, and the loss of export market shares are the challenges for the country to consider. Furthermore, the increase in R&D (research and development) expenses is noted as a positive factor, however, there is a challenge of the enhanced cyber-attacks.
The use of drones is an evolving and fundamental approach in the farming and agricultural sector in general since they are capable of completing a variety of tasks. This implies sprinkling pesticides, taking farm photos with GPS technology, and supplying information about water and fertilizer level. This tracking device can be easily monitored manually or with the aid of on-ground IoT sensors. Such technology provides current data and significantly contributes to the overall advancement of the agriculture industry. Ultimately, the critical challenge within the agriculture sector implies balancing economic expansion with progress in ecological status, which is complicated by the enhanced competition from emerging markets.
Reference List
MarketLine (2015). PESTLE country analysis report: United Kingdom. MarketLine.
Patel, M. (2018). Smart farming solutions – how IoT transforms agriculture sector. Web.
Puri, V., Nayyar, A. and Raja, L. (2017). Agriculture drones: a modern breakthrough in precision agriculture. Journal of Statistics and Management Systems, 20(4), pp. 507–518.
Ramasamy, S., Semedo, M., Castro Salazar, R. and Frick, M. (2017). Tracking adaptation in agricultural sectors: Climate change adaptation Indicators. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Thompson, F. (2019). Next generation farming: how drones are changing the face of British agriculture. Deutsche Welle (DW). Web.