Your search found 3 records
1 McGrath, K.; Brown, C.; Regan, A.; Russell, T. 2023. Investigating narratives and trends in digital agriculture: a scoping study of social and behavioural science studies. Agricultural Systems, 207:103616. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103616]
Digital agriculture ; Behavioural sciences ; Social sciences ; Stakeholders ; Digital technology ; Farmers ; Policies
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051789)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X23000215/pdfft?md5=5dfdc2bf0a11ece190c0fd246eaba6c2&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X23000215-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051789.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051789.pdf
(2.22 MB) (2.22 MB)
CONTEXT: Narratives dominate the agricultural discourse that digitalisation is the ‘silver bullet’ to agricultural, environmental, and global issues, resulting in an external push towards automation and a rapid increase in digital technologies in the sector. Concentrated productivist views and techno-optimist hype and momentum is carrying us briskly towards a digital farming revolution, with little conversation or consideration of the social impacts of digitalisation. The application of social science research to digital agriculture is relatively new and the pace at which it has been developing to keep up with digital advances in the sector has left this body of literature scattered and lacking sufficient overview.
OBJECTIVE: To address this, a scoping study was conducted on social and behavioural science literature related to digital agriculture.
METHODS: This scoping study, which incorporates 200 references, pays particular attention to stakeholder engagement and how agricultural digitalisation has been developing. This methodology enables us to provide an extensive overview of this field of research, presenting key themes pertaining to the literature including barriers and facilitators of, as well as anticipated positive and negative impacts of digital technology adoption.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We find that whilst there has been a general win-win, techno-positive narrative in the agricultural sector, proof of these benefits is limited and some technologies are eliciting negative effects to its users, transforming the landscape of agriculture.
OBJECTIVE: To address this, a scoping study was conducted on social and behavioural science literature related to digital agriculture.
METHODS: This scoping study, which incorporates 200 references, pays particular attention to stakeholder engagement and how agricultural digitalisation has been developing. This methodology enables us to provide an extensive overview of this field of research, presenting key themes pertaining to the literature including barriers and facilitators of, as well as anticipated positive and negative impacts of digital technology adoption.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We find that whilst there has been a general win-win, techno-positive narrative in the agricultural sector, proof of these benefits is limited and some technologies are eliciting negative effects to its users, transforming the landscape of agriculture.
2 Ghosh, Surajit; Mallick, A.; Dawn, A.; De Sarkar, K.; Chowdhury, A.; Kour, S.; Ghosh, A.; Holmatov, Bunyod. 2023. Digital data and tools for managing agriculture: focusing on earth observation data and climate change. Proceedings of the Training Workshop on Digital Data and Tools for Managing Agriculture: Focusing on Earth Observation Data and Climate Change, Bhubaneswar, India, 21-23 December 2023. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Initiative on Low-Emission Food Systems; CGIAR Initiative on Resilient Cities. 51p.
Digital technology ; Data ; Digital agriculture ; Climate change ; Earth observation satellites / India
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052510)
(3.31 MB)
The report presents the prime aims, objectives, discussions and insights from the “Training Workshop on Digital Data and Tools for Managing Agriculture: Focusing on Earth Observation Data and Climate Change” organized at IIIT Bhubaneshwar from 21st to 23rd December 2023. The workshop was attended by 81 participants and jointly conducted by IIIT Bhubaneshwar, IWMI, and IEEE GRSS Kolkata Chapter. The primary objective of the workshop was to equip participants with practical skills and knowledge to utilize digital data and tools, especially Earth observation data, for effective agricultural management in the context of climate change and make evidence-based decisions to confront challenges in the food system, urban water pollution, GHG emissions & nexus. The programme encompassed the challenges posed by population growth, climate change and urbanization on the water, food and energy nexus, and the need to address the complexities to achieve sustainable development and mitigate environmental impacts is necessary. Through various sessions, the workshop highlighted concerns about GHG emissions and their mitigation by transitioning to renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, water hyacinth mapping in urban and peri-urban wetlands, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) applications for rice mapping, flood damage assessment, maternal, infant and young children nutrition deficit under extreme weather conditions, agricultural data collection tools and sustainable agriculture practices. The CGIAR’s Mitigate+: Low-Emission Food Systems Initiative focuses on reducing emissions from the food systems by developing robust science, data, and evidence (among other activities). Another initiative by CGIAR on Resilient Cities generates evidence, technologies, and capacities that help improve urban food systems and secure equitable job and business opportunities, healthy diets for all, human and environmental health, and a reduced carbon footprint. Both initiatives provided resources to support the training workshop to empower students, researchers, scientists, academicians, decision-makers, and policymakers with cutting-edge knowledge and tools to integrate digital data into agricultural management practices. Participants learned about the latest advancements in Earth observation technologies, big data analytics, and digital tools that can help predict and make robust, evidence-based decisions as they confront challenges in the food system, urban water pollution, strategies to reduce GHG emissions, and tackling the nexus challenges. Thus, the workshop was envisioned as a catalyst to empower the agricultural community with digital tools and data, fostering resilience and productivity in the face of climate change. The criticality of Earth Observation (EO) data and digital tools in informing agricultural management decisions was rigorously examined and elucidated through a comprehensive program comprising six keynote addresses, nine scholarly lectures and six practical demonstrations, all facilitated by esteemed national (including IIT Guwahati, IIWM, Assam University, OSDMA, SAADRI, and SPARC) and international institutions (such as IWMI, World Bank, and DLR). A pre-event catch up with the participants was held on the first day session as a social ice-breaking session. The discourse was further enriched by an expert panel discussion on the ‘Role of Digital Tools in Mitigating Climate Change Effects on Agriculture’, an intensive brainstorming session entitled ‘Data Science and Sustainability Challenge’ and a showcase of research presentation by the participants. These engagements highlighted the practical and innovative usages of EO data for managing agriculture in the context of climatic challenges and emphasized how such strategic applications contribute towards attaining the SDGs. Of the 82 participants, 63% are male, and 37% are female. Among the attendees, 52% were at the graduate and post-graduate level, while 26% of the participants were research scholars from various Indian institutions. Of the other participants, 22% were faculty and professionals. This diversity of participants demonstrates the programme’s appeal to different professionals and researchers. The participants come from multiple institutions, including renowned universities and research centres across India like IIT Roorkee, BIT Mesra, ISI Kolkata, Techno Main Salt Lake, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Mandi, Fakir Mohan University, KIIT, and many more. This institutional diversity indicates the programme’s broader reach and appeal among academic and research organizations. These analytics provide valuable insights into the participants’ gender distribution, designations, education levels, and institutional affiliations. The inclusivity and diversity, reflected in gender representation and institutional affiliations, created a dynamic and comprehensive learning community. The diverse curriculum gave them valuable knowledge and skills to solve real-life challenges associated with major natural disasters.
3 Steinke, J.; Schumann, C.; Langan, Simon; Müller, A.; Opola, Felix Ouko; Ortiz-Crespo, B.; van Etten, J. 2024. Fostering social inclusion in development-oriented digital food system interventions. Agricultural Systems, 215:103882. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2024.103882]
Digital innovation ; Digital agriculture ; Digital divide ; Information and Communication Technologies ; Intersectionality ; Social inclusion ; Women
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052692)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X24000325/pdfft?md5=397457eb92a438d4736e601d13e0529f&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X24000325-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052692.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H052692.pdf
(0.96 MB) (978 KB)
CONTEXT: Digital innovations can enhance the participation of often-marginalized social groups – including women and resource-poor farmers in low- and middle-income countries – in sustainable, profitable food systems. But digital interventions can also reinforce existing inequities by further increasing the competitive advantage of user groups privileged with literacy, access to smartphones, or high investment capacity. To ensure that the digital transformation in the Global South leaves no one behind, therefore, deliberate efforts are needed to promote the inclusivity of emerging digital innovations. To date, however, there is a lack of practical guidelines and tools to critically assess, demonstrate, and enhance the inclusivity of digital food systems interventions. Too often, inclusivity remains a blurry concept and distant objective. In result, digital development researchers and practitioners have limited incentives for investing time and effort into safeguarding inclusivity. OBJECTIVE: With this short communication, we intend to contribute to future, practice-oriented discussions about social inclusivity in development-oriented digital interventions for sustainable food systems. We provide a critical reflection on the current discourse around digital inclusion in development context and outline challenges and opportunities for considering inclusivity in the design and deployment of digital food system innovations. METHODS: Drawing on literature as well as the authors’ own experiences with the design and implementation of digital innovations within research-for-development, we highlight ‘blind spots’ in the current discourse around digital inclusion in low- and middle-income country context. We then develop practical suggestions for overcoming these limitations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We propose a concrete agenda for enabling researchers and other innovation stakeholders, including donors, to contribute to more inclusive digital food system innovation in low- and middle-income countries. First, a standard concept and procedure is required for transparently assessing the inclusivity of digital services. Second, as many digital development stakeholders work under resource constraints, simple design tools can help them effectively consider social inclusion criteria during the design of digital solutions. Lastly, a stronger emphasis on inclusivity is required throughout the research-for-development system, ensuring that design processes themselves are inclusive, rather than considering only the final digital products. SIGNIFICANCE: As the importance of digital innovation keeps growing within the wider agricultural development discourse, this article helps researchers and practitioners gain conceptual clarity on the goal of digital inclusion. Through concrete suggestions on how inclusivity could be considered in practice, the article promotes a more equitable, inclusive digital transformation of food systems.
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