Swift federal action needed to close the agri-food sector’s digital divide

The changes facing Canadian society in this historic era cannot be understated. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced widespread adoption of technology to keep our economy moving and has increased Canadians’ appreciation for sectors, services, and workers that are deemed essential. But while most Canadians have increased their reliance on technology to stay connected, reliable high-speed interconnectivity, even for an essential sector like agriculture, is not accessible to all. Swift action by governments and private sector partners to close this digital divide is needed so that the agri-food sector can capitalize on available technologies to manage risk, optimize their operations, share important agriculture data, and continue to secure the Canadian food supply. The agri-food sector is accustomed to risk management and dealing with unexpected difficulties. Border closures, a lack of essential workers, and changing consumer patterns during COVID-19 have put extensive pressure on agriculture producers. Yet, the agri-food sector banded together in a commendable way to provide safe food for Canadians during the pandemic. Exports have also been resilient—significantly outperforming most sectors of the economy. Additionally, public trust in the food system has increased. Farmers regularly make risk management decisions in relation to crop selection, adverse weather, pests, volatile markets, and other market uncertainties. Climate change and global pandemics have only added to the list of risks that farmers must manage. That said, we cannot continue to expect our farmers to absorb these stressors when there are practical and better ways that we can support them. Precision agriculture, broadly defined as the collection and use of data and analytical software for agriculture, is a key digital tool in many farmers’ toolkits. Using software, farmers can more accurately address problems, like pests, by identifying and more precisely applying products to problem areas. Digital technology can help to treat problems, reduce waste, increase production, and protect the environment, but only if farmers have reliable internet access. Precision data tools are also useful beyond the production cycle. They can serve to better link the entire value chain and help to respond to disruptive events, like the pandemic. These tools have the power to connect farmers and consumers more easily and transparently than ever before. Imagine, for instance, if data collected in real-time during the production cycle could be analyzed to help farmers share information with consumers so they can better understand how their food is grown. Digital tools can also be game-changers when it comes to recruiting talent from across the country and beyond. They can help make agriculture an attractive industry to bring in the digital and technical talent we will need to become a tech-leading industry. These tools can help keep farm employers connected to their talent while allowing their staff to work anywhere, remotely. On top of this, sharing data on soil and water health along with carbon emission and climate data will be important in helping Canada’s agriculture industry continue to become a world-leader in sustainable agriculture. Despite the obvious benefits, the adoption of these technologies has been slow across Canada because the majority of farmers still lack reliable access to the internet. As noted by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, “A significant portion of primary producers in Canada lack access to broadband internet service, while a larger proportion is lacking access on a reliable basis. Lack of competition has led to problems of affordability, inconsistent servicing, inadequate download/upload speeds and lack of adequate investment of rural broadband infrastructure.” While the connectivity gap is well understood by the federal government, the interdependency between broadband and next-generation precision agriculture technologies should not be lost in policy discussions. The urgency of the rural connectivity strategy and investments at the federal level is supported by the fact that improved connectivity is not just about connecting individuals to one another, but about facilitating the adoption of new technologies that will help farmers to better manage risk and secure our food supply. With so many disruptors to the industry both ahead and ongoing, it is crucial that Canadian governments and private enterprises act now to stem the loss of opportunity and talent and move Canada into a place of global technological leadership. Trevor Heck is president of Syngenta Canada. The Hill Times

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Swift federal action needed to close the agri-food sector’s digital divide

The most important farming implement of the 21st century is not the seeder or the combine, but broadband internet.

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