Facilitating Precision Agriculture Adoption in Small-Scale Farms
Nov 2024 - ongoing
Small farms across Europe are rapidly disappearing as economic viability becomes increasingly difficult to sustain. While industrial agriculture swiftly adopts precision agriculture technologies (PATs), small farms have been slower to integrate them despite their significant potential. However, ensuring the resilience and diversity of the food system requires small farms to remain a vital part of the supply chain.
The rise of Precision Agriculture Technologies, known as PATs, is transforming modern farming through automation and data-driven solutions. While these innovations hold great promise, it is crucial that farmers remain at the center of the system. This raises an important question about how different types of technologies, whether data-based solutions such as crop scouting and sensing or automation-based systems like mechanized workflows, can be integrated into sustainable farming without diminishing the farmer’s role.
Beyond the challenges of adoption, it is also worth considering whether the widespread use of these technologies should be the primary goal. While PATs offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency and sustainability, they also bring potential risks, including job displacement and dependence on proprietary systems. Some view these innovations with optimism, emphasizing their potential to revolutionize agriculture, while others warn of unintended consequences. However, from the perspective of Don Ihde’s postphenomenology, which examines how technology shapes human experience, both views are overly simplistic. Technology itself is neither inherently good nor bad, and its impact depends on how it is designed, implemented, and used.
This thesis focuses on developing a flexible and farmer-centered toolbox for small farms that can be adapted to each farm’s specific needs. The range of applications may vary, from ecosystem monitoring to full automation, but the farmer must remain the primary decision-maker, determining the extent to which technology is integrated into their work. Rather than being reduced to passive bystanders, farmers should maintain control and autonomy, using technology to improve efficiency, enhance effectiveness, and expand their expertise. The goal is to empower them to navigate agricultural challenges independently and sustainably, ensuring that they continue to thrive as both caretakers and beneficiaries of their land.
Link to the thesis
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