Progress 08/01/20 to 01/12/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Because the challenges faced by organic producers are so broad, it was important to include a variety of AgTech sectors at the event. These included think tanks that support AgTech startups and innovations, and AgTech thought leaders who have been able to bring in AgTech members who have previously not interacted with organic. Researchers with specialties in open-source technology were targeted as well as sociologists that have studied how AgTech affects farmers and rural communities. AgTech specialties included mechanical and robotic engineering as well as software programmers. While not heavily emphasized, developers of agricultural biochemicals were also included. Changes/Problems:Because COVID limited travel, we changed from an in-person conference to a virtual one. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We included graduate student speakers as an opportunity for professional development. For example, Summer Sullivan, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discussed her research. Specifically, she touched on how two fields claim their practices can get us closer to a better farming future: agricultural-technology (ag-tech) and agroecology, but it is unclear whether these approaches are compatible. Integrating Western science, indigenous knowledge, and social movements, agroecology is place-based, ecosystemic approach to farming. Ag-tech trends toward problem-solving, scalability, and efficiency, making farming quicker, data-driven, and less labor and resource intensive. She led a case study of a new initiative at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) to integrate the two fields and make them a major priority in programming provides novel insights and avenues to better understanding the synergies and frictions of the two approaches. Based on interviews with 23 UCSC engineers, agroecologists, and social scientists, shee found fewer synergies than anticipated, and indeed hoped for, and some significant barriers to collaboration. Her findings suggest that for those interested in undertaking similar collaborations elsewhere, efforts to institute sustained, respectful, and more symmetrical dialogue among all parties must take place before projects are set in motion. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We used this conference to bothencourage farmers to increase the adoption of organic practices and allow organic farming to be more feasible and profitable. Specifically, this conference: 1) Provided a virtual venue for organic farmers to directly convey their needs to AgTech innovators and for AgTech innovators to showcase new technologies that can fit the needs of organic farmers. 2) Identifiedtactics to enhance the feasibility and adoption of AgTech for the diversity of organic production and farmers. 3) Developed strategies to increase continued communication among AgTech and farmers and therefore increase collaborative development of future AgTech that will benefit both farmers and the AgTech industry. Specific Aim #1: Match farmer technology needs with AgTech innovators We included virtual talks and panels that discussed current tools that support the needs of organic farmers. For example,Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, the Kelly and Brian Swette Professor in the School of Sustainability and executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University, kicked off the event, with a talk entitled "Organic Ag-Tech: Oxymoron or Golden Opportunity?" Focusing on how the collective community of organic activists can best help shape the next 30 years of organic food and agriculture, she shared current innovations in AgTech that fit within the organic values, concluding that AgTech, when done right, could be a boon for organic. Dr. Steven Mirsky, a USDAResearch Ecologistin the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory at the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, continued Dr. Merrigan's theme on the opportunities of AgTech for organic, sharing the perspective that the expansive possibilities of technology when it comes to agriculture. "Organic could see the biggest impact from advances in agricultural technology, because of the challenges and constraints that go into organic agriculture," said Mirsky. "What technology brings is really transformative, so the future is very bright." Dr. Andrew Hammermeister, the Director of the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie University, finished the first conference block on AgTech opportunities in organic, discussing the intersection of organic, smart agriculture, and ecological intensification. Dr. Hammermeister noted that the future of organic agriculture should include a coupling of smart technologies with ecological knowledge. Specific Aim #2: Explore tactics to enhance AgTech accessibility to and usability for a diversity of organic farmers To address this aim, we included a panel of organic farmers who discussed AgTech accessibility and usability.The panel highlightedthe perspectives of five farmers, including Nate Powell-Palm of Cold Spring Organics, Philip LaRocca of LaRocca Vinyards, Earcine Evans of Pure Ciné, Wa Kou Hang of Twin Cities Green Farm, and Jon Bansen of Double J Jerseys / Organic Valley. Additionally, the farmers spoke about current technology that they found useful, but also highlighted needs for future technological development, such as a focus on usability. Specific Aim #3: Continued collaboration between AgTech and Organic sectors We included several discussion sessions and presentations targeted at continuing collaboration between AgTech and Organic Sectors. Much of this focused on open source. There is a significant interest in creating open source hardware and software to increase transparency in the food chain, allow for data sharing among groups, and engage the public and make the benefits of shared data available to all. Open source tools afford farmers' and food stakeholders' ability to exert control over where the data is stored, how it is used, and who it is used by. Though the number of open source projects in food and agriculture is growing, they tend to be small, isolated within universities or small companies, and disconnected from one another. The result is duplication of efforts, hard to find tools, and disconnected parts producing incompatible data. The lack of coordination means that as technology rapidly changes, closed-source companies are locking up the machinery, sensors, data, and varieties of the future. The Organic community faces an additional set of challenges with need for software and hardware designed especially for Organic challenges. The Gathering for Open Agricultural Technology (GOAT), an online community of food and ag tech advocates, developers, researchers, and users, provided one such opportunity, including a joint discussion among five members of the GOAT community who shared their perspectives on the potential to bring open source technologies to support organic agricultural practices. They discussed the role of collaborative design of technology in meeting current and emerging challenges in the Organic community, the shared value space between open source and organic communities, and the radical ways in which open source tools and open access data can empower humans, animals, and ecosystems. The group will showcased several open source tools that are already available for use by the Organic community, and described how these tools can be used to handle record keeping and compliance, supply chain traceability, and tracking of ecosystem service goals.
Publications
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Shade, J.. Organic Confluences Conference: Connecting Organic and AgTech Summary. The Organic Center. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.organic-center.org/organic-confluences-conference-connecting-organic-and-agtech-summary
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Shade, J. Organic Confluences 2021: Connecting Organic and AgTech Agenda. The Organic Center. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.organic-center.org/organic-confluences-2021-connecting-organic-and-agtech
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Shade, J. Organic Confluences Conference: Connecting Organic and AgTech Speakers &; Moderators. The Organic Center. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.organic-center.org/organic-confluences-conference-connecting-organic-and-agtech-speakers-moderators
- Type:
Websites
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Organic Confluences Conference: AgTech Recording. The Organic Center. (n.d.). Retrieved January 12, 2022, from https://www.organic-center.org/organic-confluences-conference-agtech
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Progress 08/01/20 to 07/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Conference planning and organization has engaged a diverse combination of farmers, educators, industry leaders and scientists. Specifically, we have convened a Planning Committee meeting with Jessica Shade and Amber Sciligo of The Organic Center, Kelly Maguire of USDA ERS, Steven Mirsky of USDA, ARS, and Susan Pheasant of California State University, Fresno, and Gwendolyn Wyard of the Organic Trade Association. We also connected with a diverse advisory committee, including the following individuals to discuss the conference agenda and potential speakers: Bob Quinn Kamut Ben Worley Agrisource Data Kathleen Merrigan ASU Danilo Leao BovControl Cindy Daley Chico State Erin Callahan Climate Collaborative Christina Volgyesi Dr. Bronner's Sebastian Boyer Farm Wise Labs Perry Clutts Farmer Advisory Council Michale O'Gorman Farmer Veteran Coalition Dorn Cox Farmhack, GOAT Michael Stenta FarmOS/Farmier Craig Ganssle Farmwave Mark Retzloff Flock Sara Clow Flock Marty Mesh Florida Organic Growers Danielle Nierenburg Food Tank Linda Cronin FSA Matthew Pavone FSA Alison E. Czeczuga Gaia Herbs Christina Owens General Mills Jeffry Orrey GeoVisual Analytics Mark Squire Good Earth Natural Foods David Vetter Grain Place Foods Emma Fuller Granular Katie Clark Happy Family (Danone) Kathleen Delate Iowa State University David Nichols Loupe Jessica Lundberg Lundberg Family Farms Lori Stern MOSES Robin Schoen NAS Aaron Shier Nat Farmers Union Mark Nelson National Association of County Ag Agents Rudy Arrendondo National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Jennifer Tucker National Organic Program, USDA Cara Fraver National Young Farmers Coalition Dag Falck Nature's Path Foods Inc Jeff Schahczenski NCAT Carlotta Mast New Hope Lindsay Haines NRCS Cara Fraver NYFC Carolyn Dimitri NYU Dennis R. Buckmaster OATS, Purdue Sarah Brown Oregon Tilth Brise Tencer Organic Farming Research Foundation Logan Peterman Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative Nicholas Andrews OSU Extension Greg Austic Our Sci LLC Cathy Jones Periwinkle farms Perry Clutts Pleasantview Farm Jefferey Moyer Rodale Institute Diana Martin Rodale Institute Katherine DiMatteo Sustainable Food Trade Org Kathryn DeMaster UC Berkeley Alexis Racellis University of Texas Pan Am Erin Silva University of Wisconsin, Madison Michael Cavigelli USDA ARS Steven Mirsky USDA ARS Penny Zuck USDA NOP Lindsay Haines USDA NRCS Michael Brautovich Whitewave Ann Marie Hourigan Whole Foods Michel Nischan Wholesome Wave Finally, we have reached out to multiple stakeholders from under represented and marginalized communities, to discuss issues of opportunities and pitfalls in AgTech that need to be incorporated into our event. Changes/Problems:We have encountered two major challenges to completing the goals of this project, but have found solutions to both of these challenges: 1. COVID-19 The pandemic has prevented in-person meetings from occurring, so we are pivoting to a virtual meeting. This provides opportunities to engage a broader audience, and we are hoping to leverage our network to ensure that voices from around the United States are heard. Unfortunately, this change has delayed our timeframe, so we are currently planning to hold the meeting in the fall of 2021 rather than our initially planned fall of 2020. 2. Delay of the CSU, Fresno Agribusiness Conference We had originally planned to hold the conference in tandem with California State University, Fresno's Agribusiness Conference, but unfortunately, due to COVID, they decided not to hold the conference this year. We are currently working with them on a virtual platform that will leverage both our networks, while allowing for remote discussions, networking, and idea-sharing. We are planning to hold the meeting this fall, using an online platform that will enable us to combine live panels, pre-recorded videos, break-out discussion groups, and interactive polls. Specifically, we plan to allow organic farmers to pre-record their needs while in the field or at the convenience of their own home, followed by break-out discussion where they can further elaborate on their AgTech needs. We also plan to have AgTech industry members pre-record discussions and/or demonstrations of their technology, followed by participation in break-out discussion sessions with other conference participants. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Nothing Reported
How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to finalize the conference agenda, identify speakers, finalize virtual platform logistics, advertise and complete registration, and hold the conference. We also plan to report out to our audience about outcomes from the conference.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Provide a venue for organic farmers to directly convey their needs to AgTech innovators and for AgTech innovators to showcase new technologies that can fit the needs of organic farmers. We are in the process of developing a conference that will bring together farmers, developers, AgTech innovators, and researchers. We have reached out to several developers and members of the AgTech industry as well as organic growers and industry members to engage them in the planning process. We had originally planned to partner with California State University, Fresno's Agribusiness Conference, however, due to COVID they decided not to hold the conference this year. We are currently working with them on a virtual platform that will leverage both our networks, while allowing for remote discussions, networking, and idea-sharing. We are planning to hold the meeting this fall, using an online platform that will enable us to combine live panels, pre-recorded videos, break-out discussion groups, and interactive polls. Specifically, we plan to allow organic farmers to pre-record their needs while in the field or at the convenience of their own home, followed by break-out discussion where they can further elaborate on their AgTech needs. We also plan to have AgTech industry members pre-record discussions and/or demonstrations of their technology, followed by participation in break-out discussion sessions with other conference participants. 2. Identify tactics to enhance the feasibility and adoption of AgTech for the diversity of organic production and farmers. In addition to sessions allowing for farmers to share their needs and AgTech professionals to share their products, we plan to hold panels discussing the importance of developing AgTech tools for a diversity of organic farmers. For example, we will discuss the need for data collection to occur on organic systems and with specialty crops, as current tools are based on data collected for large-scale conventional grain and feed operations. We are in discussions with multiple farmer groups that represent marginalized farmers including the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers, Southeastern African-American Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON), and the food group, to ensure that a diversity of perspectives are represented in both the organization of the meeting as well panel speakers. 3. Develop strategies to increase continued communication among AgTech and farmers and therefore increase collaborative development of future AgTech that will benefit both farmers and the AgTech industry. In addition to panel and videos, we will include networking and discussion sessions in our agenda to help develop relationships among organic farmers and AgTech professionals. We will also leverage this conference for long-term future relationships by connecting this audience with a hackathon that is planned for winter of 2023. By deepening relationships that form during this conference into future open-source programming teams we will be able to provide a more rich opportunity for working together and strengthening communication and idea-sharing.
Publications
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