On-Farm Experimentation to transform global agriculture

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Innovation Studies
• Digital Agriculture

Background:

• Traditional agricultural research often lacks real-world farm integration.
• There is a growing need for decentralized, inclusive research models.
• Bridging diverse knowledge sources is crucial for agricultural advancement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose On-Farm Experimentation (OFE) as a transformative approach for global agriculture.
• To highlight the role of digitalization in enabling and scaling OFE.
• To explore how OFE can address complexity and uncertainty in farming.

Main Methods:

• Focus on restructuring farmer-researcher relationships.
• Emphasis on joint exploration to address complexity and uncertainty.
• Integration of digital tools to enhance research scale and scope.

Main Results:

• OFE fosters new approaches to agricultural research and innovation.
• OFE is embedded within real-world farm management practices.
• Digitalization significantly increases the scale and complexity of OFE.

Conclusions:

• On-Farm Experimentation (OFE) has the potential to globally transform agriculture.
• Decentralized and inclusive research models are essential for innovation.
• Digitalization is a key enabler for the future of agricultural research and development.