Social media connects farmers with suppliers and customers

Farmers in many parts of the world are proving adept at using social media to connect with consumers and promote their agri-business, a new book states.

Rabobank’s Future of Farming found social media usage varies from one region to another. Some 76% of US farmers aged 18 to 35 use social media to share knowledge, and more than 92% of farmers in the US own a smartphone. The figures are far lower in most developing countries.

Rabobank senior vice president of food and agriculture development, Bart IJntema, said: “Having a farming background myself, I have taken a keen interest in the use of social media in the agricultural sector. It is not a question of whether social media can be of added value, but how.