Project Description
This project investigates how emerging digital technologies (e.g., automation, AI) are used by farmers to support regenerative farming. Specifically, it adopts a qualitative methodology to understand what digital skills are (or could become) entwined in the everyday practices of farmers in their pursuit of sustainable cropping and grazing. The study engaged employees working within a family-run farming property (Echo Hills) and consultancy (Soil2Soul) based in Waikola, Queensland. The project is aligned with UN SDG 15: Life on Land.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
This pilot project involves employees on a farm where regenerative agriculture is a priority. The project benefits them by giving fresh insight into how they use digital technologies to achieve sustainable farming. These insights will form the basis of broader research with other farms and communities in Australia, thus increasing the impact of the novel practice-based approach of the research.
Outcomes to Date
This research has informed a book chapter, co-authored with Echo Hills farmers, in the forthcoming “Attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of Life on Land” edited by Professor Naomi Birdthistle. Results will also be presented at the Australasian Agrifood Research Network Conference in December 2024.
Project Significance
Existing research notes significant challenges for rural communities/industries owing to the rural-urban digital divide. While much focus has been on highlighting inequitable access to telecommunications infrastructure and services in rural areas, little attention has been paid to what digital skills are necessary for rural workforce participation and how these skills may be acquired in areas where digital technology training is sparse. Building on emerging literature which emphasises embodied, socio-material ways of adopting and using digital technologies in rural contexts, this project investigates how digital technologies become embedded in the in situ practices of rural workers (here, farmers), and what digital skills these practices necessitate. Practically, the project addresses a critical problem of needing to develop a digitally capable workforce for improved efficiency, profitability, and sustainability in rural communities. This contributes to SDG 15 by helping to make Australian rural communities for sustainable, environmentally, socially and economically.