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People working in the agricultural sector have faced many challenges in the past and still do today. The economic crisis further increases the importance of efficiency indicators in the sector, and digital solutions can provide a significant step forward in this area. In order to perform efficiently, farmers need, as before, even more complex technologically and agro-economically tested and proven, cost-effective solutions. Balázs Győrffy, president of the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture talks about these opportunities.
What is the role of startups in improving efficiency? One characteristic of a startup is the ability to adapt quickly and respond rapidly to the challenges that arise. However, in many cases, there are no markets or customers, so these solutions are only visible to a limited audience. But by combining these insights with the knowledge of large companies with the most extensive contacts, solutions spread quickly and widely. The Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture, takes on a bridging role with the innovation program of TechLab, Hungary's first agricultural incubation program, established in 2019. The main objective of this program is to find the best, latest solutions for the competitiveness of domestic farmers in agriculture, enabling their long-term integration into the sector. TechLab supports the creation and development of new types of solutions, helps farmers with digital transition, and to leverage large corporate connections to accelerate market expansion and make their technologies available to farmers in a timely manner. How does the TechLab programme support this process? We help bring the world of startups and large companies, two very different entities, to share a common platform and make the cooperation beneficial for both parties. For us, the main goal is to facilitate collaboration, resulting in a new service focused on current problems that can help many farmers. “TechLab brings together major agricultural companies and young Hungarian startups to develop new and innovative digital solutions that can quickly and widely be integrated into the everyday lives of Hungarian farmers.” 2023 is the fifth year of the incubation programme, which from the very beginning has aimed to bring together major agricultural companies and young Hungarian startups to develop new and innovative digital solutions that can quickly and widely be integrated into the everyday lives of Hungarian farmers and put into practice. What is the role of large companies in this process? By working together, the task of the startups is to deliver the most up-to-date technological knowledge and solutions to the large companies in continuous business and professional contact with farmers and provide them with inputs and services. As a result, innovation can spread rapidly, which—market-based—can provide real help to our members. How do the ideas of mostly technological startups meet up with real agricultural needs? For our programme, the startup teams are not primarily coming from an agricultural engineering background, but from a technology side. Therefore, it is a big help for developing startups to benefit from the extensive expertise of the Chamber's colleagues, whether in the field of crop production, food industry, or animal breeding. Through the Chamber’s agricultural advisers, they gain the knowledge to adapt their development to the real needs of farmers.