Indonesia

deforestation

Brazil

fires

tree cover loss

commodities

Partners

Peru

Platform

Satellite

agriculture

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monitoring

Bolivia

palm oil

amazon

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Remote sensing

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climate change

Emissions

climate

logging

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PRODES

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Small grants fund

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mapping

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website

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mining

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boreal

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big data

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Data Revolution

Efficiency

Farming

land use

Luiz Amaral

<p>Big data surrounds us. Every minute, our&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html" target="_blank">smartphones collect billions of data points</a>&nbsp;on our location, search histories and habits. Data has become one of the world’s most valuable commodities for companies. The $<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/king-candy-crush-activision-acquisition" target="_blank">6-billion-dollar sale of the game Candy Crush</a>&nbsp;was not so pricey because of the app itself, but because of the massive amounts of user data that came with it. Data has surpassed oil as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/05/06/the-worlds-most-valuable-resource-is-no-longer-oil-but-data" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">world’s most valuable resource</a>.</p>



<p>But this data revolution hasn’t reached every economic sector yet. The agriculture sector in developing countries has been largely passed over. Not only is this a huge missed opportunity for big data companies, it’s a significant obstacle in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/12/how-sustainably-feed-10-billion-people-2050-21-charts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">path towards sustainable food</a>.</p>



<h3><strong>Agricultural data is key for sustainability</strong></h3>



<p>The release of WRI’s newest&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future" target="_blank">World Resources Report</a>&nbsp;highlights the urgency of creating a sustainable food future. The global population is expected to surpass 9 billion by the year 2050, and current growth in crop yields will be insufficient to feed everyone. If we are to feed the world in years to come—and do it without destroying the planet—we will need a paradigm shift in food production.</p>



<p>Big data could be crucial in making that shift happen. A study from 2016 estimates that there are more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15002703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">570 million farms in the world</a>, and almost 87 percent of all the world’s agricultural land is held by small-scale or family farmers. By collecting information from farmers on crop inputs and yields, development organizations and others could make better recommendations on where and when to plant, how much of what kind of fertilizer to use, and the most effective ways to work the soil to increase yields without degrading the land. Without the insights farm-level data brings, the path towards sustainability is uncertain.</p>



<p>Farm data would provide immense benefits for agricultural-tech companies and farmers. Companies could use data on fertilizer usage, irrigation and seed type to improve the ways and regions where they market agricultural products, and better tailor their services to the individual needs of farmers. Farmers would benefit from the increased efficiency that data-based insights could provide. With more access to data would come the ability to improve production. It is estimated that a 1 percent increase in the number of internet users globally could increase cereal production enough&nbsp;<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.teses.usp.br/&strip=1&vwsrc=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">to feed 131 million more people</a>.</p>



<p>There is already considerable interest in data from the agribusiness industry.&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2013/10/02/monsanto-buys-climate-corp-for-930-million/" target="_blank">Monsanto bought Climate Corp</a>, a company using big data for weather services, for almost $1 billion in 2013, the biggest agriculture-technology deal in history. Ag-tech start-ups received more than $<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/agriculture-tech-investment/global-ag-tech-startup-investments-rise-29-percent-in-2017-study-idUSL2N1QO1PW" target="_blank">10 billion dollars in investments in 2017</a>. These investments, however, have been concentrated in wealthier countries where the immediate prospect for revenue is higher. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, “<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7658e.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">the world’s 500 million smallholder farmers risk being left behind in structural and rural transformations</a>.” There are promising new markets for farming technology in the developing world, which hold lots of underproductive agricultural land and the biggest potential for yield increases that could close the world’s sustainable food gap.</p>



<h3>Getting data to benefit all</h3>



<p>It
would be all-too-easy for companies to take advantage of farmer data, mining
for gold without offering anything in return. To prevent this, farmers need to
be able to take ownership of their information.</p>



<p>Agricultural
cooperatives are well-positioned to bridge the gap between big data companies
and farmers. The sheer number of farms in the world means that getting access
to each individual farm— some in hard to reach, rural areas— would be a
herculean effort. While tech companies may have the capacity to gather and
process large volumes of data, co-ops have highly coveted access to farmers.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Farmer in Madagascar" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/oxen.jpg" width="100%">Farmer in Madagascar. Photo by Michele Molinari/Wikimedia Commons </div>



<p>Co-ops
also have the potential to offer value back to the farmers and make collecting
and sharing their data worthwhile. Small farm data only acquires commercial
value if it reaches a significant scale. While an individual farm owner
wouldn’t be able to charge for the use of their data, an organized cooperative
would have the power of many behind it. Beyond simply improving farm
efficiency, selling the farm data itself could become a source of revenue for
farmers in the new data economy.</p>



<p>There
are already several initiatives working towards an agricultural data
cooperative model, as well as “tech-for-development” startups
developing tools to collect data like location, crop type and yield estimate.
That information alone has great potential; however, these initiatives are
still limited by their scope and permeation at a global scale. Internal
research by WRI evaluated more than a dozen farmer-targeted apps focused on
collecting information on the ground — such as location, yields and revenues
— and found that their utility varies depending on user needs and local
context. This means expanding any one solution to cover multiple issues across
different commodities and regions will be difficult. &nbsp;A global-scale
solution that benefits both farmers and big data will need to consider a
variety of factors, including lack of communications infrastructure in rural
areas, technological literacy of the target audience and crop-specific
idiosyncrasies. Moreover, Initiatives need the right partners and a clear
business case to reach global scalability.</p>



<p>Bringing
together big data companies, global agri-businesses, local civil society
organizations, global think tanks and farmer groups could generate win-win
opportunities for all parties, while also tackling the global food challenge
and bringing development to rural communities. Although many nascent efforts
are underway, global-scale applicability is essential to bring the full
benefits of the data revolution to agriculture. &nbsp;The fate of our
sustainable food future depends on it.</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”=""> 
BANNER PHOTO: Farmer harvests wheat in Mojo, Ethiopia. Photo by  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/44760652@N05/28584027037/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Lowe/CIMMYT</a>. 
<p></p>

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/03/data-revolution-hasnt-yet-hit-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
<p></p>
EDITOR’S NOTE, 3/5/19: A previous version of this blog post incorrectly stated that annual yields of some staple crops are decreasing. Yields are actually increasing, but annual yield growth appears to be decreasing for some crops. We have corrected the post, and we regret the error.
</div> 

 

<hr>



<style type="text/css"></style>

The Data Revolution Hasn’t Yet Hit Agriculture

<p>Big data surrounds us. Every minute, our&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/location-data-privacy-apps.html" target="_blank">smartphones collect billions of data points</a>&nbsp;on our location, search histories and habits. Data has become one of the world's most valuable commodities for companies. The $<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/king-candy-crush-activision-acquisition" target="_blank">6-billion-dollar sale of the game Candy Crush</a>&nbsp;was not so pricey because of the app itself, but because of the massive amounts of user data that came with it. Data has surpassed oil as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/05/06/the-worlds-most-valuable-resource-is-no-longer-oil-but-data" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">world's most valuable resource</a>.</p>



<p>But this data revolution hasn't reached every economic sector yet. The agriculture sector in developing countries has been largely passed over. Not only is this a huge missed opportunity for big data companies, it's a significant obstacle in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2018/12/how-sustainably-feed-10-billion-people-2050-21-charts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">path towards sustainable food</a>.</p>



<h3><strong>Agricultural data is key for sustainability</strong></h3>



<p>The release of WRI's newest&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wri.org/publication/creating-sustainable-food-future" target="_blank">World Resources Report</a>&nbsp;highlights the urgency of creating a sustainable food future. The global population is expected to surpass 9 billion by the year 2050, and current growth in crop yields will be insufficient to feed everyone. If we are to feed the world in years to come---and do it without destroying the planet---we will need a paradigm shift in food production.</p>



<p>Big data could be crucial in making that shift happen. A study from 2016 estimates that there are more than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X15002703" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">570 million farms in the world</a>, and almost 87 percent of all the world's agricultural land is held by small-scale or family farmers. By collecting information from farmers on crop inputs and yields, development organizations and others could make better recommendations on where and when to plant, how much of what kind of fertilizer to use, and the most effective ways to work the soil to increase yields without degrading the land. Without the insights farm-level data brings, the path towards sustainability is uncertain.</p>



<p>Farm data would provide immense benefits for agricultural-tech companies and farmers. Companies could use data on fertilizer usage, irrigation and seed type to improve the ways and regions where they market agricultural products, and better tailor their services to the individual needs of farmers. Farmers would benefit from the increased efficiency that data-based insights could provide. With more access to data would come the ability to improve production. It is estimated that a 1 percent increase in the number of internet users globally could increase cereal production enough&nbsp;<a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://www.teses.usp.br/&amp;strip=1&amp;vwsrc=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">to feed 131 million more people</a>.</p>



<p>There is already considerable interest in data from the agribusiness industry.&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bruceupbin/2013/10/02/monsanto-buys-climate-corp-for-930-million/" target="_blank">Monsanto bought Climate Corp</a>, a company using big data for weather services, for almost $1 billion in 2013, the biggest agriculture-technology deal in history. Ag-tech start-ups received more than $<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/agriculture-tech-investment/global-ag-tech-startup-investments-rise-29-percent-in-2017-study-idUSL2N1QO1PW" target="_blank">10 billion dollars in investments in 2017</a>. These investments, however, have been concentrated in wealthier countries where the immediate prospect for revenue is higher. According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, "<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i7658e.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">the world's 500 million smallholder farmers risk being left behind in structural and rural transformations</a>." There are promising new markets for farming technology in the developing world, which hold lots of underproductive agricultural land and the biggest potential for yield increases that could close the world's sustainable food gap.</p>



<h3>Getting data to benefit all</h3>



<p>It
would be all-too-easy for companies to take advantage of farmer data, mining
for gold without offering anything in return. To prevent this, farmers need to
be able to take ownership of their information.</p>



<p>Agricultural
cooperatives are well-positioned to bridge the gap between big data companies
and farmers. The sheer number of farms in the world means that getting access
to each individual farm--- some in hard to reach, rural areas--- would be a
herculean effort. While tech companies may have the capacity to gather and
process large volumes of data, co-ops have highly coveted access to farmers.</p>



<div class="imagecenter"><img class=" wp-image-3569 alignright" style="padding-bottom: 10px;" alt="Farmer in Madagascar" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/oxen.jpg" width="100%">Farmer in Madagascar. Photo by Michele Molinari/Wikimedia Commons </div>



<p>Co-ops
also have the potential to offer value back to the farmers and make collecting
and sharing their data worthwhile. Small farm data only acquires commercial
value if it reaches a significant scale. While an individual farm owner
wouldn't be able to charge for the use of their data, an organized cooperative
would have the power of many behind it. Beyond simply improving farm
efficiency, selling the farm data itself could become a source of revenue for
farmers in the new data economy.</p>



<p>There
are already several initiatives working towards an agricultural data
cooperative model, as well as "tech-for-development" startups
developing tools to collect data like location, crop type and yield estimate.
That information alone has great potential; however, these initiatives are
still limited by their scope and permeation at a global scale. Internal
research by WRI evaluated more than a dozen farmer-targeted apps focused on
collecting information on the ground -- such as location, yields and revenues
-- and found that their utility varies depending on user needs and local
context. This means expanding any one solution to cover multiple issues across
different commodities and regions will be difficult. &nbsp;A global-scale
solution that benefits both farmers and big data will need to consider a
variety of factors, including lack of communications infrastructure in rural
areas, technological literacy of the target audience and crop-specific
idiosyncrasies. Moreover, Initiatives need the right partners and a clear
business case to reach global scalability.</p>



<p>Bringing
together big data companies, global agri-businesses, local civil society
organizations, global think tanks and farmer groups could generate win-win
opportunities for all parties, while also tackling the global food challenge
and bringing development to rural communities. Although many nascent efforts
are underway, global-scale applicability is essential to bring the full
benefits of the data revolution to agriculture. &nbsp;The fate of our
sustainable food future depends on it.</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”=""> 
BANNER PHOTO: Farmer harvests wheat in Mojo, Ethiopia. Photo by  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/44760652@N05/28584027037/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Peter Lowe/CIMMYT</a>. 
<p></p>

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/blog/2019/03/data-revolution-hasnt-yet-hit-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
<p></p>
EDITOR'S NOTE, 3/5/19: A previous version of this blog post incorrectly stated that annual yields of some staple crops are decreasing. Yields are actually increasing, but annual yield growth appears to be decreasing for some crops. We have corrected the post, and we regret the error.
</div> 

 

<hr>

The Data Revolution Hasn't Yet Hit Agriculture