Abstract
In this perspective paper we consider the implications of a digital transformation for agricultural knowledge, a subject which hitherto has received limited attention. We raise critical questions about how digital agriculture will intersect with established modes of knowing and decision-making. We also consider the implications for the wider Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS),specifically the roles and capabilities of those who provide advice to farmers, as well as those responsible for data analytics, and the organisations and institutions that link and support them. Weconclude that new data driven processes on farm, as well as the changing AKIS dynamic under digital agriculture, bring new demands, relations and tensions to agricultural decision-making, but also create opportunities to foster new learning by harnessing synergies in the AKIS.
Highlights
It is generally agreed that digital agriculture1 will deliver a step change in efficiency, productivity and sustainability at the farm level and across the value chain (Aubert et al, 2012; Wolfert et al, 2017)
Rapid developments in the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, robotics and Artificial Intelligence are accelerating the transition to smart farming and the promotion of big data and precision agriculture to improve agri-food sustainability
Analysis of the potential impact of digital agriculture on the AKIS to date has tended to follow a supply-orientated narrative, examining, for example: digital services in extension (Steinke et al, 2020), social media usage, digital literacy and access (Bronson and Knezevic, 2016); and adoption of technologies (Pierpaoli et al, 2013; Barnes et al, 2019; Lowenberg-DeBoer and Erickson, 2019). Whilst these perspectives are insightful, we argue that digital agriculture requires us to fundamentally rethink these knowledge processes and to reflect on the consequences of a shift toward data-driven processes
Summary
Countryside and Community Research Institute, University of Gloucestershire, Gloucester, United Kingdom. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Agroecology and Ecosystem Services, a section of the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. In this perspective paper we consider the implications of a digital transformation for agricultural knowledge, a subject which hitherto has received limited attention. We consider the implications for the wider Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS), the roles and capabilities of those who provide advice to farmers, as well as those responsible for data analytics, and the organizations and institutions that link and support them. We conclude that new data driven processes on farm, as well as the changing AKIS dynamic under digital agriculture, bring new demands, relations and tensions to agricultural decision-making, and create opportunities to foster new learning by harnessing synergies in the AKIS
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