Welsh gov plans to get farmers online
Farmers roles have changed here and there over the years, but overall, the job has stayed almost the same for centuries, looking after their livestock and harvests, but more and more in the modern world, their jobs have brought them online, so Senedd members want to know what is being done to help farmers get tech savvy.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Now, the digital world spans across virtually all industries and remits, including the likes
00:07 of education, health and social services.
00:10 Yet one industry where digital inclusion is becoming more importantly, and possibly under
00:15 the radar, is within the agricultural industry.
00:18 Now, the sustainable farming scheme and future farm support will rely heavily on farmers
00:23 collecting and inputting data onto websites, including mapping.
00:27 Now, the average age of a Welsh farmer is around 59 years of age, but knowing age is
00:33 no barrier to learning.
00:35 What engagement have you had as Minister with the Rural Affairs Minister, and most importantly,
00:39 with the sector itself, to ensure that our farmers have access to training and skills
00:45 so that they can use, with ease, the necessary digital agricultural platforms to run their
00:50 business and maintain their livelihoods?
00:52 John Griffiths AM The modern world is run on new tech in all
00:55 centres around the internet and computers, and more and more different areas are becoming
00:59 more reliant on being tech savvy.
01:01 Farmers who have traditionally not needed to be particularly adept in computers, but
01:05 this is slowly changing, making it more and more important for agricultural workers to
01:09 learn proficient IT.
01:10 Jane Hutt AM The digital inclusion in the agricultural
01:12 industry, as you say, in terms of the profile, I mean, just looking at the statistics, 93%
01:18 of adults in Wales are now using the internet compared to just 66% in 2010.
01:24 There is an age profile, and it is about skills, isn't it?
01:28 It's about access to skills as well.
01:31 So this is being addressed by a digital strategy for Wales, and that's a programme for government
01:36 commitment.
01:37 It makes clear that for people who can't or decide not to participate digitally, that
01:44 we have to find ways in which to either access them to increase their skills.
01:49 Andrew R.T.
01:50 Davies AM The Welsh Government want to help online proficiency
01:52 and know that nowadays it's one of the most important tools for people, particularly older
01:57 people, to gain that knowledge of working with computers and being engaged in their
02:01 work and personal lives online.
02:02 Jane Hutt AM Since July 2019, our digital inclusion health
02:07 programme, for example, has supported 18,216 people in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire
02:14 with motivation and basic digital skills needed to use the internet effectively.
02:20 We now are developing a minimum digital living standard for Wales, but this has to ensure
02:26 that we do reach out to our business and industry, the agriculture industry.
02:31 I will discuss this with the Minister for Rural Affairs, recognising, of course, that
02:38 Farm Connects and all those engaged in the sustainable farming scheme and the implementation
02:43 and delivery of it will be up to speed on all of this.
02:49 Andrew R.T.
02:50 Davies AM Computer proficiency has never been more
02:51 important and it's easy to forget that some people, like farmers, very much need to be
02:55 adept online.
02:56 So, with more being put into tech education, more people will get those opportunities to
03:00 engage.
03:01 J.P.
03:02 Watkins, reporting from Wales.
03:03 [BLANK_AUDIO]