The last decade has seen an explosion of interest and investment in the use of digital technologies in agriculture and food production. These initiatives have come under the label of “precision agriculture”, “smart farming” and more generally digital agriculture. Despite the many predicted benefits of the use of data and digital technology solutions in agriculture (DATSs), actual uptake and use by farmers in the EU has been slow and limited for several reasons. These include a lack of knowledge about such tools, insufficient clear and “hard” data on the costs and benefits of DATSs, their impact on sustainability when used under real life conditions, as well as impediments that can be defined as “softer” or social factors such as farmers’ cultural and behavioural attitudes.
There is a need for independent quantitative and qualitative assessments of the multiple costs and benefits and potential sustainability gains of DATSs, examining both their positive and negative potential impacts. It is also important to make these assessments of DATSs and their wider impacts replicable, comparable and of practical use. This is of particular importance for farmers, their advisors, and policymakers, as this is an essential stepping-stone to facilitate the widespread uptake of DATSs in the sector and guide the design of tailored and effective policy measures.
The overall objective of QuantiFarm is to support the further deployment of DATSs as key enablers for enhancing the sustainability (economic, environmental, social) performance and competitiveness of the agricultural sector, by a) establishing an assessment framework for assessing the impact and effectiveness of DATSs in agriculture and b) developing innovative tools, services and recommendations for farmers, advisors, and policy makers.
