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Data Power: Understanding the Impacts of Precision Agriculture on Social Relations
E. Duncan, E. Fraser
University of Guelph

Precision agriculture has been greatly promoted for the potential of these technologies to sustainably intensify food production through increasing yields and profits, decreasing the environmental impacts of production, and improving food safety and transparency in the food system through the data collected by precision agriculture technologies.  However, little attention has been given to the potential of these technologies to impact social relations within the agricultural industry.  This paper argues that for precision agriculture to deliver its intended benefits the social consequences are imperative to consider.  This article begins by mapping and analyzing the current precision agriculture technological landscape in Ontario in order to understand the current state of adoption.  It then further examines the changing relationship between precision agriculture retailers and primary producers due to the introduction of precision agriculture through a qualitative analysis of interviews.  By understanding the shifting power relations between these two actors along with the political and economic motivations for technology adoption, I highlight the social impacts of precision agriculture adoption, focusing on issues of cost, labour, and data as a new form of capital on the farm.  The results emphasize the pressing need for knowledge transmission and capacity development in precision agriculture as the vast majority of agriculture data collected is underutilized.  This research focuses specifically on data gathering technologies in the crop and dairy sectors in ten counties with the highest adoption rates of precision agriculture in Ontario.  

Keyword: Precision agriculture, big data, social relations, capacity building, Ontario