Alberta Innovates is utilizing smart farm networks to foster collaboration between farmers and technologists.
Unlike the confines of a laboratory or office, where practical application of emerging tech is minimal, smart farms allow for authentic battle-testing of products and services.
This real-world environment provides fertile ground to grow agriculture innovation, according to the provincial organization—offering “a live environment where developers can get their hands dirty and farmers can put new technology to the test.”
“Advancements in data and digital technologies are enabling the evolution of agriculture and food systems, making them more resilient, more productive, and more sustainable,” posits Alberta Innovates.
In terms of data, by 2050, the average farm is expected to generate four million data points every day.
Toward this end, Alberta Innovates has been “investing in technologies that will help use this data and turn it into intelligence.”
Better decision making as a result of this detailed data “is the promise of the digital revolution,” which could result in reduced transaction costs and inefficiencies for farmers.
And with regard to physical technology, advancements in key fields such as robotics and artificial intelligence are enabling new levels of scale and autonomy for agricultural operations.
A key example of Alberta Innovates’ involvement in the advancement of smart agtech solutions in Canada is the organization’s active support of the Olds College Smart Farm, which is part of the Canadian Agri-food Automation and Intelligence Network’s network of smart farms across Canada.
For those seeking more information, at this year’s Inventures event Alberta Innovates led a panel discussing various aspects of the smart farms solution.
Alberta Innovates manages nearly 1,300 projects in a portfolio valued at $1.33 billion.
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