Digital technologies are working to transform the global agricultural system. Farmers and firms are creating, adapting and adopting a range of new hardware, software, mobile apps, sensor technologies and big data applications, which is working to disrupt established structures within the farm machinery and associated data sectors. Focusing just on the extension of precision technologies to agriculture, this paper maps the competitive landscape using a 2 × 2 typology that situates entities operating in Canada based on their strategies, distinguishing between top-down and bottom-up networks of competitors and collaborators and the degree of interoperability of their digital applications. We examine the emergence of four specific cases in western Canadian agriculture. The typology and the cases suggest global agri-food firms, industry collectives and a host of entrepreneurial start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises are competing to both organize and disrupt the global agri-food value chain. It is not yet clear which strategy, if any, will prevail and provide the model for broad acre agriculture in Canada and around the world.

数字技术正在努力改变全球农业系统。农场主和公司正在创建，改编和采用一系列新的硬件，软件，移动应用程序，传感器技术和大数据应用程序，这些工作正在破坏农业机械和相关数据部门内已建立的结构。本文仅着眼于将精密技术扩展到农业，使用2×2类型学绘制了竞争格局，该类型根据其策略在加拿大开展业务的实体进行了定位，区分了竞争者和合作者的自上而下和自下而上的网络以及他们的数字应用程序的互操作性程度。我们考察了加拿大西部农业中四个具体案例的出现。类型和案例表明全球农业食品公司，工业界，许多创业公司和中小型企业正在竞争组织和破坏全球农业食品价值链。尚不清楚哪种策略（如果有的话）会占上风，并为加拿大和世界各地的大面积农业提供模式。