InnoFarm

Only by considering innovative farming practices in conjunction with a diversity of crop and livestock systems, as well as the relevant markets and policies, can farming in the digital era become smart farming.

Background

Agriculture needs to produce food while at the same time reducing environmental impacts and supporting the provision of ecosystem services. Innovations in information and communications technology (ICT) that lead to new farming practices such as precision agriculture, use of spatially explicit data, climate-smart agriculture or innovative crop rotations are applied in agriculture at an increasing rate. ICT and (big) data will lead to major shifts in the type and dynamics of networks around the farm and the entire food supply chain and can contribute to a sustainable development of the agricultural sector. However, a sole focus on technological aspects of ICT in agriculture might create lock-ins that restrict the large potential to contribute to more sustainable agricultural systems. Especially small farm structures and high investment costs as well as low efficiency due to structural and environmental characteristics constrain the use of technologies in small-scale and highly diversified systems. Thus, new technologies must also allow for alternative forms of networks between these small-scale farms such as collectives, cooperatives or other forms of collaboration. Only such a combination of new technologies with a diversity of crop and livestock systems, and considerations concerning relevant markets and policies, will truly improve future farming. Thus, innovations in ICT, farm networks and diverse farming practices are seen as key drivers to increase agricultural production, improve farmers’ incomes and reduce environmental impacts (Fig.1). To untap the potential of these innovations, they need to become more attractive to farmers. So far, however, there is only limited scientific knowledge about "smart farming" and the integration of socio-economical, technological, agronomical, and environmental aspects into the development of sustainable management options and policy alternatives.

Objectives

Our vision is to contribute to an increase of resource efficiency, economic viability and to strengthen cohesion of smart farming systems in Swiss agriculture by introducing innovative farming practices, new management and network systems as well as innovative policies. The main goal is to investigate how innovative farming practices, new technologies and new data streams can be aligned with new forms of networks to allow for a sustainable development of small-scale, diverse Swiss agricultural farming systems. To achieve this goal, a consortium of crop and grassland scientists as well as agricultural economists from ETH Zurich collaborate to combine natural sciences i.e., different field measurement campaigns and social sciences i.e., surveys, economic analysis and agent based modelling in an inter- and transdisciplinary approach. Our research questions are:

·       Q1: How can crop traits relevant to the improvement of innovative small-scale and smart farming systems be detected in an automated, reliable way from images taken by UAVs? (Crop Sciences Group & Grassland Sciences Group)

·       Q2: How can high-resolution data on GHG fluxes be used to assess resilience to environmental disturbances and efficient use of scarce resources in agricultural production systems and contribute to climate change mitigation strategies? (Grassland Sciences Group & Crop Sciences Group)

·       Q3: Which innovative networks (from parcel exchange, machine sharing, monitoring networks to cooperatives and contract farming) can facilitate adoption and diffusion of innovative farming practices? (AECP Group)

·       Q4: What are costs and benefits as well as barriers and success factors for the implementation of networks that support adoption of technology in the Swiss agricultural sector? (All)

Main results of the project

Nitrogen use in agriculture can be reduced
Our findings from several field trials show that sensors can precisely measure the uneven distribution and emission of nitrogen compounds in the field. Thus information from satellites or drones can help significantly to reduce nitrogen use without affecting yield. The measurements of greenhouse gas emissions also imply that optimised fertiliser application and crop rotation with a high degree of coverage all the year round can have a positive environmental impact.
Demand for reliable precision technologies is increasing
The economic analysis of precision agriculture procedures shows that, although there is financial added value for farmers, this is often too small to justify large investments in digital technologies. However, rising fertiliser prices are making these technologies a more attractive proposition. Cross-enterprise collaboration and state support are also increasing the demand for precision agriculture. Surveys show that Swiss farmers are open to the idea of precision agriculture if the technology is reliable and technical support is available.
Digital innovation calls for a holistic approach
From an agricultural policy point of view, our findings show that a holistic approach is needed to any possible funding of digital innovations in agriculture. There are five key aspects to this:
1) Digital infrastructure needs to be more broadly established.
2) Knowledge of new technologies has to be promoted. This requires training, and dialogue in farming networks.
3) There need to be clear rules on how data from different stakeholders can be used.
4) Since it would not make sense for every farm to make major investments, overarching perspectives are required.
5) Policy measures should not be geared to specific technologies, but explicitly to reducing environmental footprint with no detriment to production.
For further information please visit the NRP Website: external pageDigital innovations for sustainable agriculture – NRP 73 (nfp73.ch)call_made

Involved Groups:

Agricultural Economics and Policy Group & Grassland Sciences Group & Crop Sciences Group of ETH Zurich

Contact:

Prof. Robert Finger () (Project Leader), Dr. Robert Huber (), Prof. Nina Buchmann () and Prof. Achim Walter ()

Project Website (in German) external pageLinkcall_made

Funding Period: 2018-2021

Funding: Swiss National Science Foundation, National Research Program 73 “Sustainable Economy” external page>>call_made

Publications:

Monteiro Moretti, D., Baum, C. M., Ehlers, M.-H., Finger, R., & Bröring, S. (2023). Exploring actors' perceptions of the precision agriculture innovation system – A Group Concept Mapping approach in Germany and Switzerland. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 189, 122270. external page>>call_made

Huber, R., Späti, K., & Finger, R. (2023). A behavioural agent-based modelling approach for the ex-ante assessment of policies supporting precision agriculture. Ecological Economics, 212, 107936. external page>>call_made

Finger, R. (2023). Digital innovations for sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. European Review of Agricultural Economics, 50(4), 1277-1309. external page>>call_made

Späti, Karin (2022). Economics and Policy of Precision Agriculture: The Case of Variable Rate Fertilization in Switzerland. DISS ETH NO 28697 >>

Ehlers, M.-H., Finger, R., El Benni, N., Gocht, A., Sørensen, C.A.G., Gusset, M., Pfeifer, C., Poppe, K., Regan, Á., Rose, D.C., Wolfert, S., Huber, R. (2022). Scenarios for European agricultural policymaking in the era of digitalisation. Agricultural Systems 196 >>

Späti, K., Huber, R., Logar, I., Finger, R., 2022. Incentivizing the adoption of precision agricultural technologies in small-scaled farming systems: A choice experiment approach. Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. external page>>call_made

Späti, K., Huber, R., Logar, I., Finger, R., 2022. Data on the stated adoption decisions of Swiss farmers for variable rate nitrogen fertilization technologies. Data in Brief 41, 107979. external page>>call_made

Wang, Y., Huber, R., and Finger, R. (2022). The role of contractors in the uptake of precision farming—A spatial economic analysis. Q Open 2. external page>>call_made

Späti, Karin, Robert Huber und Robert Finger, 2021. Benefits of increasing information accuracy in variable rate technologies. Ecological Economics 185, 107047. external page>>call_made

Finger, Robert, Scott M. Swinton, Nadja El Benni und Achim Walter, A., 2019. Precision farming at the nexus of agricultural production and the environment. Annual Review of Resource Economics 11, 313–335. external page>>call_made

Walter, Achim, Robert Finger, Robert Huber und Nina Buchmann, 2017. Opinion: Smart farming is key to developing sustainable agriculture. PNAS 114, 6148–6150. external page>>call_made

Blog Contributions:

Späti, Karin (2023). Wirtschaftlichkeit und Politik von teilflächenspezifischer Düngung in der Schweizer Landwirtschaft external page>>call_made

Huber et al. (2023). Effektivität und Effizienz von Politikmassnahmen zur Förderung von Präzisionslandwirtschaft external page>>call_made

Finger et al. (2023) Digitale Innovationen für eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft external page>>call_made

Späti, Karin (2023) Wirtschaftlichkeit und Politik von teilflächenspezifischer Düngung in der Schweizer Landwirtschaft external page>>call_made

Ehlers Melf-Hinrich et al. (2023) Wahrnehmungen der Präzisionslandwirtschaft in Deutschland und der Schweiz external page>>call_made

Ehlers Melf-Hinrich, Robert Finger und Robert Huber (2022) Scénarios de politique agricole à l’ère de la numérisation external page>>call_made

Späti et al. (2022): Was macht die Nutzung von Präzisionstechnologien in der Schweizer Landwirtschaft attraktiv? external page>>call_made

Wang et al. (2022): Wettbewerb zwischen Lohnunternehmungen und die Förderung von Präzisionslandwirtschaft external page>>call_made

Späti et al. (2021): Was ist der ökonomische Wert von räumlich hochaufgelösten Informationen in der Stickstoffdüngung? external page>>call_made

Finger (2019) Digitalisierung in der Landwirtschaft – Eine agrarökonomische und agrarpolitische Perspektive external page>>call_made

Finger et al. (2019). Precision Farming im Spannungsfeld von landwirtschaftlicher Produktion und Umweltleistungen. external page>>call_made

Finger et al. (2018). Digitale Innovationen für eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft. Agrarpolitik Blog external page>>call_made

Huber et al. (2017). Smart-Farming für eine nachhaltige Landwirtschaft. Agrarpolitik Blog external page>>call_made