Last month, I was fortunate to attend the Digital AgriFood Summit in Wagga-Wagga, NSW. The event, which includes a half-day out in the field, looks at emerging technologies set to revolutionise the future of farming.

An inspiring, albeit sobering event, the program showcased individual stories mixed with healthy debates around decarbonisation, sustainability, and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture.

One inspiring story that stood out was that of Mike Casey, a cherry farmer who created the world’s first fully electric farm. This included all his machinery, home, and on-farm renewable system. Using his own financials as proof, he very transparently demonstrated that it is possible to save emissions and be sustainable. He is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a charity dedicated to electrifying millions of fossil fuel machines in New Zealand.

During the field day component of the event, the technology was front and centre. LiDAR equipped robot dogs, giant spraying quadcopters and hydrogen-powered drones showed how the sector agriculture can harness innovations such as AI, Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics and remote-sensing to drive a more sustainable future.

There was also rigorous debate around AI and whether or not to let it rip (so to speak) or to keep it under control. There were great arguments from both sides, particularly those made by Jerome Leray, Managing Director of InFarm, and his team. As someone with an extensive career developing products and solutions to leverage geospatial data and machine-learning, the discussion around the application of computer vision in agriculture, including the detection of disease particles and weed detection in drone imagery were valuable.

During the Gulbali Gala Dinner, held under the stars in regional NSW, we heard from renowned explorer and environmentalist Tim Jarvis AM, who delivered a powerful speech about the state of the planet, and his initiatives to protect our natural wonders and his educative work to raise awareness about climate change and conservation issues.

Since commencing at SmartSat three months ago, my focus has been on understanding and exploring how Earth Observation (EO) technology can contribute to making agriculture in Australia more sustainable, productive and profitable. There are a lot of opportunities for technology to have a deep impact on the sector, however there are still many challenges ahead. This event provided a great opportunity to discuss these challenges with the farmers, agronomists, platform providers and agricultural researchers to better understand the barriers to adopting these technologies.

While farmers are often eager to embrace new technologies, there is a lack of resources and training. Farmers are extremely resilient and adaptable, especially when facing the real-world impacts of climate-change and globalisation, however their local knowledge and experience is often overlooked by the academic world. No one knows better than those on the ground that the agricultural industry is complex, and it is essential that developers make their EO solutions accessible, affordable and reliable.

It was fantastic to meet many of SmartSat’s project partners and collaborators in-person. Hearing the stories of farmers, researchers, and innovators was fascinating and was a great introduction to understanding the Australian agriculture and food system, the challenges and the opportunities. Highlighted was the potential of technology, innovation, and collective action to drive positive change and build resilience and adaptation in the face of climate change.

Fabrice Marre
Senior Earth Observation Specialist