8th ABMRA Rural Producer Habits Survey outlines the profile of agricultural leaders

According to the survey, in recent years young producers have been gaining more space in rural property decisions.

Among traditional media, producers prefer open TV, followed by radio, specialized TV, newspaper and magazine. 

In order to show the advances and changes in the profile of Brazilian rural producers regarding the adoption of new technology and its relationship with the current forms of communication available, the Brazilian Association of Rural Marketing held the 8th edition of the Survey on Farmer Habits Brazilian, which portrays the current situation of agribusiness facing the new influencing agents of the market.

Small, medium and large producers were interviewed in person between October 2020 and January 2021, among men and women responsible for the decision to purchase and use inputs, machinery and various implements on the properties. Each form contained 273 questions to the producer. In total, there were 4,500 hours of questioning.

In all, 2,310 interviews with farmers – involving the planting of sugarcane, soy, corn and others – from different regions of the country, in 16 states, are recorded. In agriculture, there were 738 interviews (sample error rate of 3%, which means a reliability level of 90%). Specifically per animal, there were 366 interviews in beef cattle, 134 in dairy farming, 110 in poultry and 128 in swine. Likewise, in several regions of the country, highlighting the States of the Southern Region, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Goiás.

According to the survey, in recent years young producers have been gaining more space in rural property decisions. To get an idea, the average age of producers in 2013 was 48 years old, rising to 46.5 in 2017 and reaching 46.4 in 2021. It is also worth mentioning one – timid – but real increase in the range of 26 to 35 years old in decision-making processes, going from 15 interviews in this niche to 18.

In terms of education, 51% were identified between incomplete 1st grade/complete/incomplete 2nd grade, and 10% of the total number of respondents with higher education, mostly agronomists.

Among the findings, the survey also reveals the advancement of communication tools in the field: 94% of producers have a smartphone, against 61% in the previous survey, carried out in 2017, and in the same sense, the growth of internet access in rural areas, available for 91% of animal producers – numbers from agriculture higher than agriculture, in this case. In addition, 57% of respondents use the network 15 or more times a day. An interesting part, also revealed by the ABMRA survey, refers to what these producers are looking for in the network, and sector information is among the main items, as well as weather forecast data. 74% of producers use the internet to update themselves.

The survey also proves the relevance of new communication channels, such as WhatsApp. 76% of producers use the platform to do business, a different scenario from the one presented in the last survey. Facebook remains important as a social network – but not for doing business – and YouTube has nearly tripled in importance from the 2017 survey, the survey describes.

Among traditional media, producers prefer open TV, followed by radio, specialized TV, newspaper and magazine. One in four producers participating in the survey (26%) said that “the magazine is very important to keep me informed about the rural sector” and 30% highlighted that “agribusiness newspapers and magazines help rural professionals to innovate and increase their earnings ”, reinforcing the concept of media convergence.

"The survey shows what Agro companies have felt in terms of communication: there is space for all media, as long as they produce relevant content and that actually contribute to the needs of producers, and that's where Communication 360 also comes in", he reinforces the Marketing Manager of YesSinergy®, Carolina Tanese.

Source:

ABMRA press conference 25/05.