Designaffairs is a design consultancy that analyzes trends in farming and the future of agriculture. The document discusses emerging models of farming like urban, indoor, and organic farming. It also addresses challenges facing farmers like an aging population of farmers, the right to repair, and the growing role of automation. The strategic implications for agricultural brands are to make farming more attractive and profitable, provide tools and services to support new farming practices, and adjust brands to align with changing rural and urban agriculture markets.

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creating change brand shaping
innovative
human centered

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BRS
Topic Tuesday
The Future of Farming (IIOT)

3. designaffairs
designaffairs was founded in 1997 & is an
owner-managed design consultancy with
studios in Munich, Erlangen, Shanghai &
Portland, USA.
Our agency is ranked 17th among the most
award-winning creative agencies in the world.
Together with our clients, our team of more
than 100 interdisciplinary experts develops
successful products & into-market strategies
that are creating a successful change in our
clients, businesses.
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Our background

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We believe strategic partnerships are
better positioned when facing
disruptive market forces. Together we
cover the topics that matter.
Together we are stronger.

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Ideas come from changing perceptions and asking questions,
only when you are in a state of curiosity and play can you innovate.
Innovations are curiosity and ideas shipped. Walt Disney
We start with a simple premise.

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Grandfather (Farmer)
Father (Farmer) Son (Farmer)
Contractor (Farmer)
Daughter (Farm Owner)
• Age: 70 +
• Traditionalist
• Farming to survive or as a way of life
• Age: 50.
• A hands on and a doer.
• Use technology to fit to the situation.
• A balance of caring and passion but not
aspirational.
• Focused on: productivity efficiency.
• Farming to be rich.
• Zero waste and a reuse mentality.
• Age: 25.
• Avant guard: Energy farmer.
• Farming to change the world
• Altruistic.
• Most caring most Passion.
• Ecological and more ethical.
• More educated farming school.
• Might live only on wind farms.
• Age: 38 ( mostly males).
• Offspring of farmers.
• Do not own no farm.
• The most aspirational and passionate but
care less.
• Focused on: Speed and money.
• Farming to buy or inherited farm through
marriage.
• Age: 35.
• Supports in administrative farming
operations.
• Responsible for accounts and operations.
“Finally I am back in
I made it”
“It's too much hard
work on my own”
“Zero waste &
maximising my lands
profit”
“I feel ecologically
responsible”
“In touch with
the land”
Real people, Fresh Perspectives
Consumer?

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Direct consumer to producer
relationships blossom, amidst
fear of fake food.
Concerned about the safety of what they eat.
Direct relationships between growers and consumers is
growing fast.
Social farming, farmer markets & shift to organic farming are
growing fast.
User Observation 1
Question: “Could ‘Agri Brands’ leverage the
closer proximity and be a guarantor for
trust to consumers?”
Could ‘Agri Brands’ form a social farmers market
as a way to grow the brand?

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Fast demand for many SKU’s
of sustainable farming.
(organic, urban, indoor etc)
By 2050, 33% of food will be grown in cities as urban and
indoor farming grows fast inc; vertical, rooftops aero,
hydroponics and organic.
Young farmers attracted to new farming techniques inc Elon
Musk’s brother.
Many SKU’s or variations of farming is the future
User Observation 2
Question: “How could ‘Agri Brands’
become part of a food producing
urban city?”
Could ‘Agri Brands’ bridge the gap between urban
and rural with tools, services and
social initiatives?
2033 - 2038
Forecast
take off for
organic
agriculture

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Traditionalist
Small-sized farmers
Industrialist
Large-sized
industrial farmers
Pioneers &
Developers
Paradigm shift farmers
E.g. Vertical, Organics
User Observation 3
Changing in user base
Decrease in farmers over 35 representing less than 2% of
US farmers.
an increase in younger farmers aged 25 – 34 of 2.2%.
These 25 to 35 will drive the future of farming.

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Intelligent automation
(IIOT) will fill the void left
by workers.
Less than 2% of farmers in the US in 2017.
Nations plan to automate all manual tasks to meet food
demands by 2050.
2022 smart agriculture market valued at $11.23 billion a
13.27% CAGR in five years.
User Observation 4
Question: “Can ‘Agri Brands’ integrate
more with IIOT to help farmers
remain profitable?”
Could ‘Agri Brands’ look to a simple partnership as
low hanging fruit?

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Framers Right to
Repair.
The right to repair strong legal backing and legislature
support for farmers in the US.
Strongest amongst industrialist & traditionalist at large and
small levels farms.
Eastern European, India and Chines hacking is prevalent
(unregulated legislation).
User Observation 5
Question: “Could ‘Agri Brands’ empower and
support farmers to a right to repair
without reducing profit margins?”
Could ‘Agri Brands’ relook at the relationship of old
vs new tractors, manual vs digital?

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Shared-economy &
renewable energy as a means
to stay profitable.
Agriculture will play a significant role in shared and
decentralised energy farming.
$1.2 billion new income for farmers by getting involved with
new energy sources.
Europe plans to use at least 20% of bio-fuels by 2020.
User Observation 6
Question: “Could ‘Agri Brands’ take a
stake in farmers interest in
energy harvesting?”
Could ‘Agri Brands’ design lighter vehicles or tools,
generators etc?

13. Could ‘Agri Brands’ be in harmony
with nature? Could this make them
more resistant or efficient?
What If ‘Agri Brands’ Used Biomimicry?
An Analogy To Think Sideways
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Could ‘Agri Brands’ provide the next
generation of tools for wind farms?

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Strategic
Implications
For ‘Agri Brands’

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Attractiveness
Of farming
Re-interpreting existing farmers values:
“make it less of a burden & profitable again”
Re-interpreting new farmer values:
“make it fun & attractive again”
Support the new farming practices:
“reverse the brain drain by innovating”
Strategic implication 1:

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Be A
Service
Create tools: For farmers to become decentralised energy
harvesters or IIOT farmers.
Create platforms: That empower shared economies for
energy or food harvests or IIOT farming.
Promote knowledge transfer initiatives: For rural or urban
farm learning including internet for rural areas.
Strategic implication 2:

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Brand
Adjustment
Re-alignment of brand and user values for old and new
markets.
Road mapping of rural, semi-rural and urban farming
equipment.
Strategic implication 3:

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Thank You

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