From Stadiums to Farms: Harnessing the Lessons of Sports Evolution in Agritech Advancements
We are all witness to the remarkable evolution of sports — athletes pushing boundaries of human performance and teams leveraging cutting-edge technologies, catapulting competitions to another stratosphere. From an era where a cricket team would collectively score 300 runs in a single match to individuals hitting equivalent numbers singlehandedly; young Haalands in their 20s scoring goals for fun, outnumbering goals scored by several bottom-position teams in the English Premier League.
There is much to be learned and applied beyond the confines of stadiums. Imagine if we could channel the same drive, precision, and adaptability seen in the world of sports and direct it towards revolutionizing Agriculture — a paradigm shift it could bring to propel the agricultural industry into a new era of growth and sustainability.
The question here is — How can we draw the synergies between stadiums and farms? How to cultivate, nourish, and sustain our regional and global food systems.
Let’s look at the key attributes of a Champion team
Out of the many attributes from which we may draw inspiration, I would like to highlight a few of them and express my hope to continue exploring further and learning from others in the process.
- Adaptability and Skillset: The ability to adapt to different conditions and take on additional roles, even if they are outside of your primary skillset when your teammates are struggling.
- Team Formation and Role Dynamics: This attribute is closely tied to the situation at hand. It involves the player’s capability to intelligently fit into different formations based on the circumstances of the game.
- Actionable Plan: Sports teams rely on well-defined game plans and strategies to achieve success. They constantly evolve and adjust their game plans based on their competitors, week in and week out.
- Data Intelligence: The use of data analytics and advanced technologies in sports has revolutionized performance analysis and strategy development.
Passion: The world of sports is driven by passion, dedication, and an unwavering pursuit of excellence.
What attributes can Agri-tech leverage?
Our powerful ally — innovation, has been around for long (as witnessed by the sports industry in particular), with many good solutions developed by multiple start-ups, however, their deployment is a concern, ‘an actionable plan, and an ecosystem missing for a long time.
Being in the Agritech space for a considerable number of years, I have learned that technology is going to play a critical role in transforming the Agri value chain. Like many of us, we have been trying to create the right ecosystem to benefit all the stakeholders (not only improving the bottom line for farmers and agribusiness but also keeping climate and sustainability at the core).
The question remains — How to scale up the experiments/ pilots to a reasonable figure and engage a large chunk of the farmers?
While in the Agri space, infusion of funds and tech innovation is happening but the players (agribusiness professionals) are not evolving accordingly, there is a lack of understanding and leveling up with respect to the modern gameplan. The great agriculture team needs to step up and take a cue from familiar sports such as football and cricket.
While in sports, the evolution of players with advancements in technology enhances their understanding of their roles and their ability to exhibit adaptability and flexibility in dynamic conditions. They make informed decisions based on data and constantly upgrade their skill sets based on data and the evolving formats of the game. However, at the heart of it all, the success of the day is ultimately determined by the cohesion and performance of the team.s