The Data Divide in Agriculture 4.0: Who Benefits, and Do Small Farmers Buy In?

• In Event: 50462 - Section on Science, Knowledge, and Technology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4: Agriculture as a SKAT topic

Abstract

Developments in data-driven technology have been targeted at large-scale produce farms in Washington state, leaving out small farms from what is being called “Agriculture 4.0”. This agri-tech revolution seeks to leverage data technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) for efficiency and profitability, but small farmers are largely excluded. This pattern echoes the Green Revolution of the 1960s and 70s, where technological advancements primarily benefited large farms, increasing output while forcing small farmers out of business and into consolidation. Consequently, advancements in data-driven technologies may create similar agricultural monopolies and decrease food resilience through longer supply chains. Alternatively, supporting small farmers, with annual sales less than $250,000, can be integral to regulating agricultural monopolies and increasing food resilience. To promote the inclusion of these farms, this study investigates how small produce farmers perceive data-driven technologies in the context of “good” farming practices. I will conduct semi-structured interviews with small produce farmers in Western Washington, a region with a diverse farming population, employing an inductive analytical approach to understand how farmers’ values and morality shape their openness to technological adoption. This research is critical because findings will contribute to more inclusive AI development accounting for the needs and perspectives of small-scale farmers in Washington, mitigating agricultural monopolies and increasing food resilience.

Author

• Angelic Du, University of Washington