What Are the Implications of Digitalisation for Agricultural Knowledge?

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 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, but also create opportunities to foster new learning by harnessing synergies in the AKIS.

Extension and Advisory Organizations on the Road to the Digitalization of Animal Farming: An Organizational Learning Perspective

“…Some scholars [61][62][63] note that digital farming represents the fourth agricultural revolution, which can introduce a new phase in agricultural history, after a relatively long period during which technology continued to develop incrementally. However, despite their potential positive effects, digital technologies have a disruptive and transformational nature, which may shake up the organizations involved in agrifood production and supply systems [61,[64][65][66].…”

Social network analysis of spreading and exchanging information on Twitter: the case of an agricultural research and education centre in Mexico

“…However, as Kaushik et al (2018) argue, and which is also the case for CIESTAAM and similar organisations in contexts in which engagement with digital technologies is still in development (Janc, Czapiewski, and Wójcik 2019;Rijswijk, Klerkx, and Turner 2019), this requires capacity building on how to use Twitter more strategically and also develop sufficient organisational capability to be able to have the required intensity and frequency of tweeting. This is imperative to play meaningful roles in digitalised knowledge networks, which increasingly have become part of agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (Phillips, Klerkx, and McEntee 2018;Klerkx, Jakku and Labarthe 2019;Fielke, Taylor, and Jakku 2020;Ingram and Maye 2020). In line with ideas on 'New Extensionists' (Sulaiman and Davis 2012), agricultural research and education organisations such as CIESTAAM should in this sense invest more to become brokers in virtual multi-stakeholder networks (such as those on social media), following Kaushik et al (2018) who call for high brokerage of key organisations with well-established online networks.…”

Agriculture sphere in the era of Industry 4.0: the world experience and Russian practice of the digital business model building in the agroindustry

“…Within uniform space the participants of the sphere of agrarian and industrial complex segmented on activities or the rendered services will be combined with the help of smart contracts. As base for their collaboration the virtual platform where each of participants will have the private office will act and also the library of contractors, the center of financing of agrarian and industrial complex (the key player -JSC Rosselkhozbank), the block of services and discussion of the strategy of development for an agroecosystem will be separately taken out [7].…”