Farmers are encouraged to take part in an on-line survey on precision agriculture to help advance innovation in Canadian farming.
The survey will take place between Jan. 9 and Mar. 4, 2017, and will examine the use of precision agriculture in Western Canada.
Precision agriculture (PA) is a term used to encompass a range of devices to collect agriculture information and the geospatial tools to enable site specific management of food production. There are many definitions of precision agriculture (PA) which are often influenced by the specific equipment or management system being referenced.
According to Dale Steele, who has been commissioned by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to conduct the survey, the research gleaned will determine the various levels of adoption for precision agriculture technologies throughout the Prairies, how Canadian producers compare with key competitors in similar jurisdictions, and the various factors that create barriers to adoption.
“It will gather insights from crop sector stakeholders regarding their practical experiences with on-farm adoption of innovation in general, including what has worked and what has not, as well as the motivations for technology adoption, and the educational and business support networks available,” says Steele. “The results of this research will be used to better understand the state of play of precision agriculture in the western Canadian crop sector, and identify key challenges that need to be overcome to boost innovation and competitiveness in the sector.”
The survey will look at the precision agriculture tools being adopted in Western Canada and identify the barriers to technology and innovation that farmers face across the Prairies. Farmers are asked to include the various tools and technologies they currently use and are considering using in 2017.
“It will benefit all agriculture stakeholders to determine the precision agriculture tools that have been adopted in Western Canada. Results from the survey will help promote the use of innovation and competitiveness in agriculture,and inform the development of future policies and programs.”
A similar survey was recently conducted in other regions of Canada.
Complete the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/precision-ag-western-canada
Summary results will be available in April 2017, and shared with western Canadian grower associations, industry stakeholders and farm media.
