Accelerating Precision Agriculture to Decision Agriculture, and logos of partner organisations.

[CRDC has been collaborating with our fellow Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) and research partners to implement the recommendations of the Accelerating Precision to Decision Agriculture project. For more information, view Growing Digital Future].

The Accelerating Precision to Decision Agriculture (P2D) project was supported by funding from the Australian Government's then Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (now Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program. Led by CRDC, the P2D project involved all Rural Research and Development Corporations, and was focused on three main aims:

  • Facilitating the development of digital technology in Australian agriculture.
  • Fostering the establishment of appropriate legal frameworks, data systems and access to critical datasets.
  • Identifying the data communications systems required to deliver the benefits of digital agriculture to the Australia farm and agribusiness sectors.



Download the P2D program brochure.

Outcomes:

P2D summary report

Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture: Enabling digital agriculture in Australia

Implementing the recommendations from the P2D project will set the stage for increasing the profitability of producers, providing clarity and trust in data ownership and access rights, and stimulating an innovation environment that facilitates the development and adoption of technology. This Summary Report brings together the key findings and aggregates the 67 detailed recommendations into 13 key recommendations. It also provides direction on the next steps required to implement the recommendations.

P2D technical reports

Six P2D reports have been commissioned to address key areas that are constraining digital agriculture moving towards its promised potential in Australia. These are as follows:

1. Producer survey of digital agriculture - The needs and drivers for the present and future of digital agriculture in Australia.

​The survey results provides valuable benchmarking data that have helped inform strategies developed in the broader P2D project aimed ensuring that Australian producers can better utilise agricultural data to enhance profitability while protecting their rights.  The survey also identifies producers’ data needs to capitalise on the opportunities created by digital agriculture and big data.

Zhang, A., Baker, I., Jakku, E. and Llewellyn, R. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture: The needs and drivers for the present and future of digital agriculture in Australia. A cross industries producer survey for the Rural R&D for Profit ‘Precision to Decision’ (P2D) project. CSIRO and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

2. Data connectivity for digital agriculture

This report introduces the key telecommunications technologies and services utilised, or at least on offer, to Australian producers and a small number of illustrative case studies of producers and service providers. The report also includes a discussion of future opportunities and the provision of recommendations aimed at further enabling Australian producers to realise a big-data future for their farming business.

Lamb, D. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture: A review of on-farm telecommunications challenges and opportunities in supporting a digital agriculture future for Australia. University of New England and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

3. The legal dimensions of digital agriculture in Australia

Currently, the legal and regulatory frameworks around agricultural data are piecemeal, fragmented and ad hoc. The report outlines the current state of data rules dealing with data ownership, access, use, liability and licensing in Australian agriculture and presents recommendations to ensure that the legal and regulatory framework for Australian agriculture is digital and data ready.

Wiseman, L. and Sanderson, J. (2017). The legal dimensions of digital agriculture in Australia: An examination of the current and future state of data rules dealing with ownership, access, privacy and trust. Griffith University, USC Australia and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

4. Current and future state of agricultural data for digital agriculture in Australia

This report identifies which datasets and decision-support tools were currently being used across different agriculture sectors and explore where future investment opportunities may exist. The report identifies five main cross-sectoral data types that warranted further analysis. These were soils, weather, imagery, land use and property boundaries. For each of these data types we have documented the key existing datasets, discussed the trends and opportunities and made recommendations about a desired future state.

Barry, S., Darnell, R. Grundy, M, Moore, A, Robertson, M, Brown, J, Gaire, R and George, A. (2017). Precision to Decision – Current and future state of agricultural data for digital agriculture in Australia. CSIRO and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

5. A big data reference architecture for digital agriculture

The big data reference architecture (BDRA) provides a framework to assist RDC projects with needs in Big Data collection, storage and analysis. To achieve this, the BDRA guides solution architectures by assisting with requirements definitions and identifying appropriate strategies and design patterns for Agricultural Big Data challenges. The reference architecture can facilitate collaboration between RDCs by creating a common language and approach when addressing Big Data challenges.

Skinner, A., Wood, G., Leonard, E. and Stollery, T. (2017). Advancing precision agriculture to decision agriculture: A big data reference architecture for digital agriculture in Australia. Data to Decisions CRC and Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Australia.

6. Analysis of the economic benefit and strategies for delivery of digital agriculture in Australia

This report estimates that the unconstrained implementation of decision agriculture would result in a lift in the gross value of agricultural (including forestry and fisheries) production of $20.3 Billion (a 25% increase on 2014–15 levels) and would have major flow-on effects to other parts of the economy. This research will help guide ongoing investments by government and RDCs in areas that reduce current barriers to decision agriculture. It will also assist with targeting investments in areas in which there is a strong business case or high-impact productivity and profitability benefits for decision agriculture.

Perrett, E., Heath, R., Laurie, A. and Darragh, L. (2017). Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture – analysis of the economic benefit and strategies for delivery of digital agriculture in Australia. Australian Farm Institute and Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

Digital agriculture and big data tools: 

The following web based tools have been developed through this research:

  • A Big Data Reference Architecture for Digital Agriculture: developed by the Data to Decisions CRC, this tool incorporates example decision trees defining the data needs for an agricultural data system with full consideration of data systems existing in the broader economy 
  • Register of cross-sectoral agricultural and environmental datasets and decision support tools: developed by CSIRO DATA 61
  • An online grower toolbox: developed by Griffith University and USC, providing best practice guidance material for growers and industry 

Media releases:

The P2D Project has featured in two recent issues of the Farm Institute Insights newsletter, Accelerating precision agriculture to decision agriculture (August 2016) and Big data cooperatives in the United States (November 2016).

Project supporters:

  • Australian Government Rural R&D for Profit Program
  • Cotton Research and Development Corporation
  • Meat and Livestock Australia
  • Dairy Australia
  • Grains Research and Development Corporation
  • Sugar Research Australia
  • AgriFutures Australia
  • Australian Wool Innovation
  • Horticulture Innovation Australia
  • Australian Pork Limited
  • Australian Grape & Wine Authority
  • Forestry and Wood Products Australia
  • Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
  • Australian Meat Processing Corporation
  • Australian Livestock Export Corporation Limited
  • Australian Egg Corporation Limited

Research providers:

  • Data to Decisions CRC
  • University of New England
  • Australian Farm Institute
  • Griffith University
  • University of the Sunshine Coast
  • CSIRO & CSIRO Data 61