Distribution of precision agriculture technologies: a first survey of French dealerships

Precision agriculture technologies (PAT) are very diversified. The proliferation of precision agriculture products and services, as well as of their providers can confuse farmers. In addition, the lack of agronomic references for these technologies is slowing their adoption. The organization and development of the distribution network can help the providers of PAT to support farmers and other end customers. This study describes how PAT are being addressed by ordinary dealers of agricultural machinery and equipment. We aimed at identifying the main trends in the distribution of PAT among dealers, as well as the obstacles and the expected added value of these technologies for their business. We focused on metropolitan France as the first European country for agricultural production and highly committed to the development of agtech. A series of semi-direct interviews was realized on a sample covering the main tractor manufacturers on the national territory, the involvement of the dealer manager in the national trade union (i.e., SEDIMA) and already offering PAT. The interview consisted of four parts: (i) current offer by the dealership and level of PAT use/equipment by customers; (ii) 5-years strategy of the dealership about these technologies; (iii) changes in personnel (recruitment, training, etc.) and organization related to these new products/services; (iv) identification of expected added value and obstacles. The notes taken during the phone interviews were coded into themes and topics to ensure harmonization and comparability, then analyzed to provide summary statistics, and to identify main trends and recommendations about the distribution of PAT.