Lack of digitization slows big data adoption in ag

Big data could transform and streamline poultry operations, but first the poultry industry will have to overcome significant challenges to digitization.

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Anna Bizon | AdobeStock.com
Anna Bizon | AdobeStock.com

Big data could transform and streamline poultry operations, but first the poultry industry will have to overcome significant challenges to digitization.

“There is a lot of talk about Supply Chain 4.0 as part of what has been characterized as Industry 4.0. This vision of the future includes leveraging big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect the entire food supply chain,” Shari Rogge-Fidler, CEO of the Farm Foundation, explained during the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Outlook Forum.

The promise of big data

One of the largest potential benefits of leveraging big data in food production is the ability to make the supply chain more transparent for consumers.

According to a recent food industry report, 80% of shoppers rank transparency as important or extremely important, especially regarding food safety and origin purposes.

“At the manufacturer or processor level, Supply Chain 4.0 enables traceability for food safety and validation of sustainability goals, as well as collaboration across the supply chain. For distributors and food retailers, the benefits include the ability to predict demand and supply better or increased efficiency and reduction in waste,” Rogge-Fidler said.

“The question remains though how much of this digitized information consumers actually will use, who will translate it for consumers and how it will be valued at an economic level.”

Challenges to implementation

However, the adoption of big data and other digital innovations in food production has been slower than anticipated, despite the potential benefits.

“There are a few significant challenges for us to reach these promises. First among them is the lack of digitization in agriculture,” said Rogge-Fidler. “The lack of digitization is holding back the adoption of many of these new technologies.”

In other words, most data used throughout the supply chain for food production is still recorded manually – if at all – and will need to be converted into digital formats before big data approaches can be applied.

In a recent survey from the Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, more than half of producers who do not collect farm data said digitization was too costly and did not offer enough benefits.

In addition, connectivity is another major challenge. Less than two-thirds of rural Americans have internet access, according to the Pew Research Center.

“During the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have likely heard that some organizations accelerated their use of technology by two years in only a two-month period. For agriculture on the whole, I don’t see that we were able to enjoy that type of a silver lining,” she said.

“This was due to this lack of infrastructure to enable it. Hopefully over the next five years, we will see significant progress here through visionary leaders and the public and private sector working together to be change agents on this.”

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