On March 9, 2020, Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner handed over the final six state grants to fund digital experiments in the field of agriculture. All 14 experimental fields have now commenced their work. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) has allocated funds of over 50 million euros for this purpose over the next three years.

Digitization opens up many new opportunities to make farming a more attractive, sustainable and successful occupation.

 With regard to agricultural policy, Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner regards digitization as an instrument against thinking in black and white terms and as a way of avoiding the pitfalls of ideology: "If we want to use fewer pesticides, the answer is not a blanket ban on everything, but a more precise and needs-based application. We want to breathe life into the concept of precision agriculture and provide it with tangible developments and applications. Through digitization, crops can be protected and nurtured more precisely. Not according to a subjective gut feeling, but based on data, facts and science", stressed Klöckner.

Against this background, the digital research fields can be drivers of both innovation and acceptance, as they also play a role in environmental protection and nature conservation, thereby contributing to sustainability overall.

Adapted from: https://www.bmel.de/DE/Landwirtschaft/_Texte/DigitaleExperimentierfelder.html