Stakeholders from across the food supply chain are calling for greater collaboration in on-farm data collection within the industry to help it meet its sustainability targets.
The event, which was hosted by global data platform provider, Map of Ag, in London this month (October 3) consisted of a panel discussion with six industry stakeholders on the the importance of cooperation within the sector in terms of achieving sustainability goals.
This collaboration will be contingent on the alignment of stakeholders goals and a greater understanding of sustainability in general, which will prove “essential” in determining meaningful progress and tangible results.
Speaking at the event , Agri-food Consultant and partner at EFFP, Duncan Rawson, emphasised the significance of trust as a means of fostering relationships with fellow stakeholders.
“Building relationships is hard to quantify, but without trust, even the best strategies will fail. Collaboration across the food supply chain, from farmers to processors and retailers, is crucial for achieving long-term sustainability,” he said.
Data collection
Head of Agriculture at Barclays, Adam White, underlined the importance of farm-level collaboration, especially around data collection.
“I don’t want to be asking farmers for data they are already reporting elsewhere so sharing is essential. There’s so much information available, and we need to make better use of what’s already being collected,” White said.
Sustainability manager at Leprino Foods, Ben Williams, echoed this sentiment, calling for streamlined data collection processes and a focus on actionable insights that can drive meaningful decision-making.
Williams warned that farms face a “data overload”.
He also said that “actual leadership” is required to strive towards sustainable ambitions and that partnerships with platforms can help simplify data management, ensuring ease of access to information for farmers.
“Too much data without the right knowledge and insight becomes a barrier to change we need collaboration to overcome these obstacles as the knowledge to deploy technology effectively and extract value is what drives real progress,” he added.
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is already taking steps to implement a data-driven approach to measure sustainability and productivity in UK farming.
AHDB’s head of Environment (Technical), Rachael Madeley Davies, detailed their project which involves 170 farms utilising technologies like LiDAR to track biomass and underground soil conditions.
Map of Ag runs a data platform that connects farms and agrifood sectors using a highly trusted, permission-based management engine.
