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Without social considerations, the drive for sustainability is incomplete and there may be gaps in knowledge for the next generation of practitioners as well as unintended consequences. Students' Knowledge and Expectations about Sustainable Food Systems in Higher Education. Kooistra, L., Van der Wal, T., and Poppe, K. (2015). The negative effects of modern agricultural production are often highlighted in the . These advanced devices and precision . The on-farm data is processed using deep learning algorithms and big stack data to enable the farmers or the company to view all production parameters of real-time operations and provide advice regarding seed choice or application of fertilizer and pesticides (Ozdogan et al., 2017; Clapp and Ruder, 2020). (2021). Gill, D. S. (1996). J. Despite technological improvements that increase corn yields, extreme weather events have caused significant yield reductions in some years. There is tension in discourse because the definition of digital agriculture can seem all encompassing, covering a broad range of low cost to high-cost technologies. The earliest agricultural school (Ontario School of Agriculture) supported by the government had the hope of not only teaching good farming but also encouraging rural youth to take a farming vocation instead of leaving for the city. Environ. Rural Stud. IDS Bulletin 43 (6), 919. Digital technology opens vast untapped potential for farmers, investors, and entrepreneurs to improve efficiency of food production and consumption in Africa. While reducing the adverse effects of extreme cold on agriculture in recent decades, a warming climate is increasing the effects of drought, extreme heat and air pollution. Scholars working in Foucauldian discourse analysis are particularly interested in analyzing power (Cheek, 2004). 90-91, 100289. doi:10.1016/j.njas.2019.01.001, van Mierlo, B., Beers, P. J., and Hoes, A. S. (2020). Digital Agriculture Practices in the Context of Agriculture 4.0. Retrieved from https://ourlandandwater.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Matrix_report-B-2016-09-30-002-FINAL-OLW.pdf. Food sovereignty is another key ingredient in the development of a just and sustainable food system. Hansen, E., Robert, N., Bomford, M., Harbut, R., and Mullinix, K. (2020). For example, Carolan M. S. (2017) found that the Green Revolution has accelerated the loss of knowledge about crop management practices which allowed societies to grow food not only under adverse weather conditions, but also without the need of agrochemicals and expensive non-renewable resources. Soc. Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Modifications Bad impact on agriculture and plants. Moreover, a better understanding of educators perspectives/discourse on digital agriculture can help identify the skills and mindset needed to ensure that learners are exposed to a holistic understanding of both the benefits and the potential limitations of digital agriculture. One of the academics interviewed is particularly concerned by the livelihood of small-scale farmers and advanced that farmers should think carefully before investing in new technologies as their return on investment may not always be economically viable. Additional funding of $15 million will be allocated to other small and medium food enterprise partners to be able to work on an automation and digital technology project to highlight the economic benefits and impacts of digitization of the Agri-Food sector (Morin, 2020). Of all the different revolutions in agriculture, digital agriculture stands out in its method of collecting large volumes of data (i.e. Although most proponents have discussed digital agriculture as a way to simplify decision making process, one academic noted that digital agriculture is not really about reducing complexity, but rather about considering all the complexity and learning from that through gathering a large enough data set (Academic 3). Author; analysis and interpretation of results: BN and TS. How the Black Sea Grain Initiative is helping feed the World. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. College-trained agricultural graduates of Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) became in demand and their expertise not only filled federal and provincial agriculture departments, their expertise was also exported to other countries (Lawr, 1972). Balafoutis, A., Beck, B., Fountas, S., Vangeyte, J., Wal, T. V. D, Soto, I., et al. doi:10.1016/j.aaspro.2010.09.006, Shepherd, M., Turner, J. Fleming, A., and Vanclay, F. (2009). They may conduct outreach activities to promote digital agriculture resources, or farmers who are already familiar with their services may reach out to them. doi:10.17261/pressacademia.2017.448. When data analysis from digital agriculture is seen as neutral, transparent, efficient, and rational, it takes away from the human dimension of agriculture and the human/corporate values behind data algorithm. (2010). Greater efficiency and productivity are the main arguments of proponents of digital agriculture as it balances the socio-economic and the environmental aspects of sustainable agriculture and the food system (Basso and Antle, 2020). (Academic 4). Migr 55 (4), 4863. Precision Agriculture Technologies Positively Contributing to GHG Emissions Mitigation, Farm Productivity and Economics Sustainability 9 (8), 1339. doi:10.3390/su9081339, Basso, B., and Antle, J. doi:10.1111/imig.12342, White, B. The use of modern farming technology has had both a positive and negative impact on rural areas: Positive and negative impacts of modern farming technology. Soc. However, the social aspects of agriculture, including the impact of agricultural practices on society do not traditionally enter into mainstream agricultural training or courses. doi:10.1080/02660830.2015.11661680, Tey, Y. S., and Brindal, M. (2012). J. Sust. This perspective emphasizes the polarization of this technology despite digital agriculture comprising a broad spectrum of technologies and analytical tools that can be utilized by regenerative and organic farms. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum. Government of Canada (2020). Health Res. This view seems to identify smaller farmers as a group that cannot be trusted and have unsubstantiated fear, but does not recognize the fact that data-driven farming has been used by large corporations to perform acts of surveillance ranging from data trading and data grabs of previously private data, to copyrighting data to prevent farmers from fixing their equipment (Ravis and Notkin, 2020). The future of connectivity. If connectivity is implemented successfully in agriculture, the industry could tack on $500 billion in additional value to the global gross domestic product by 2030, according to our research. Managing the risks of artificial intelligence in agriculture 'Smart' Farming Techniques as Political Ontology: Access, Sovereignty and the Performance of Neoliberal and NotSoNeoliberal Worlds. (Academic 4). With respect to smaller farmers being squeezed, one government official had a more positive outlook on how digital agriculture could help with social equity. A shift has also occurred in that agri-food system professional, and farmers increasingly need to understand global and local food systems as a whole and recognize the interconnectedness of human and natural systems (Liu et al., 2015). Without addressing these underlying colonial settler logics and worldviews from a policy or regulatory standpoint, and without engaging with critical data studies, digital agriculture, just like its predecessors (the green revolution), will not help address the extreme inequalities and injustices in the food system, most of which negatively and disproportionately impact racialized communities (Sbicca, 2012). For government staff, the notion of digital agriculture as the great equalizer can be mobilized by open-access digital agricultural platforms and offering cost-shared programs for farmers to make the technology more affordable and accessible. Permaculture has a positive impact on the environment Image:REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao. With regard to social equity, all of the participants interviewed highlighted the responsibility and role of the federal and provincial governments in designing policies that would better improve the distribution of benefits from the technology and addressing the barriers that have been identified in this study. Ferreira, R., and Vardi, M. Y. Reverend Clarke, a representative from Canada and rector of the first agricultural school in Ontario was sent to the United States to study the agricultural school model there. Digital agriculture, on the other hand, goes many steps further by connecting farm equipment to software platforms (Mehrabi et al., 2021; Clapp and Ruder, 2020). There has been an increasing call for the sustainable intensification of agriculture to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural activities, increase food production, and improve the economic conditions of the farming community (Lowder et al., 2016; Firbank et al., 2018). doi:10.1111/j.1759-5436.2012.00375.x, Wield, D., Chataway, J., and Bolo, M. (2010). Because farming was thought of initially as weeding and feeding and technology changes how it [agriculture] is being done. It is clear that negative impacts of higher food prices on poverty and hunger under this scenario would likely have dwarfed the welfare effects of agricultural expansion. Daedalus 134 (3), 5259. Concerns and opportunities have been identified around digital agriculture as noted in the literature (Rose and Chilvers, 2018; Weersink, 2018; Rotz et al., 2019; Edwards et al., 2020). The Digital divide and How it Matters for Canadian Food System Equity. Int. Due to the small number of educators and practitioners knowledgeable about digital agriculture in British Columbia, we have avoided connecting the quotes with the participants academic training or listing detailed information about the educational background of the interviewees as this might identify the participants in our study. doi:10.4324/9780203594070, Skinner, K., Hanning, R. M., Desjardins, E., and Tsuji, L. J. Analyzing Discourse: Textual Analysis for Social Research. Sbicca, J. Food sovereignty is defined as the right of local peoples to control their own food systems, including markets, ecological resources, food cultures, and production modes (Wittman, 2011, 87). J. Effect of climate-smart agricultural practices on household food (2020). In this section, beyond the direct benefits of the technology as stated by some of the educators and trainers, they also noted the benefits of employment and training opportunities. But precision agriculture may in fact be different. This represents a percentage of 32% of universities and post-secondary colleges addressing food and agriculture issues of the province. Impact of Technology on Agriculture - National Geographic Society One government official who has been involved in the development of digital platforms for agriculture stated that a significant amount of funds for training has been invested in digital agriculture training and education including on how it can assist with issues of climate change: One example of regional support, we provide a lot of money to an organization called the Climate Action Initiative and where possible they develop educational and training tools. There is also the assumption that the digital agriculture model is homologous to the outside world and can be parachuted anywhere without understanding the nuances of context (Liu and Sengers, 2021, 6). Government of British Columbia (2020). When agricultural operations are sustainably managed, they can preserve and restore critical habitats, help protect watersheds, and improve soil health and water quality. (Academic 1). The historical context of agricultural education in Canada has sought to break free from the stigma of agriculture as hard labour that is non-scientific and getting ones hands dirty, to scientific agriculture achieved through radiating the brains of young men with the beams of science (Lawr, 1972, 335). For example, community-based extensions support benefits from the social capital of the local communities whether it be fee-for-service or free extension support organized by farmers (Yamada et al., 2015).