ABSTRACT

Digital agriculture is exciting attention because of an expectation that food systems will be disrupted by new digital technologies through improvements in precision, efficiency, volume, speed of process or identity of product. This is against the background of the drive for sustainability in food systems. A diversity of technology applications is unilaterally emerging in all food chains with benefits realized through human acceptance and adoption in business processes. This paper focuses on Australia but the lessons apply to digital agriculture globally. We propose that sustainable food systems frameworks identify the relation of individual changes to broader systemic change, to relate individual changes to one another and to understand how multiple changes within a system can trigger major shifts in entire agri-food chains. With this rapidly-changing landscape in mind, we argue that food system frameworks cover five domains: production, market, capitals, governance and data technologies. We analyse experience from agricultural systems, compare it to digitization in non-agricultural systems and conclude that change will be both disruptive and cumulative. We consider the role of systems governance to be under-reported. Governance will prove critical in areas of IP legislation, policy harmonization and targeted investment.

摘要

数字农业之所以引起关注，是因为人们预计新的数字技术将通过提高精度、效率、数量、加工速度或产品特性来破坏粮食系统。这是在推动粮食系统可持续性的背景下进行的。各种技术应用正单方面出现在所有食品链中，通过人类在业务流程中的接受和采用来实现收益。本文重点关注澳大利亚，但经验教训适用于全球数字农业。我们建议可持续粮食系统框架确定个体变化与更广泛的系统变化之间的关系，将个体变化相互关联，并了解系统内的多重变化如何引发整个农业食品链的重大转变。考虑到这种快速变化的格局，我们认为食品系统框架涵盖五个领域：生产、市场、资本、治理和数据技术。我们分析了农业系统的经验，将其与非农业系统的数字化进行比较，并得出结论，变化将具有破坏性和累积性。我们认为系统治理的作用被低估了。在知识产权立法、政策协调和有针对性的投资等领域，治理将被证明是至关重要的。我们认为系统治理的作用被低估了。在知识产权立法、政策协调和有针对性的投资等领域，治理将被证明是至关重要的。我们认为系统治理的作用被低估了。在知识产权立法、政策协调和有针对性的投资等领域，治理将被证明是至关重要的。