Source: seedworld.com

With global food demand set to double by the year 2050, it is important for farmers and agriculture professionals to have good data in order to improve productivity and feed a growing world population. That is part of the reason why the Ivy College of Business and the Seed Science Center are teaming up to study the digital agriculture ecosystem. The study is being spearheaded by Dr. Priyanka Jayashankar, an ISU Seed Science Center collaborator.

“The purpose of the study is to understand how diverse agricultural stakeholders form networks and innovate through the use of big data tools,” Jayashankar said. “We hope to understand how they manage their resources and form innovative business models through the use of big data tools.”

Momentum around data-driven farming is building thanks to the use of technology like drones, soil sensors, and livestock monitoring equipment to produce an enormous amount of priceless information. The end goal is to help agricultural businesses make better, more informed decisions, allowing them to tap into a range of advantages. It also helps farmers manage resources including seed, fertilizer, and pesticides, while increasing productivity.

“We believe our study will benefit ag practitioners and help them inform policy,” Jayashankar said.

Jayashankar is interested in connecting with farmers, agriculture technology providers, ag tech start-ups of all sizes, extension personnel, coop officials, bankers and financing agencies who have used big data tools in agriculture. Jayashankar and her collaborators plan to interview these people and could compensate them for their time investment, which would only be about an hour. Interviews can be done in person or through video-conference and are anonymous.