Moving Toward Agriculture Digitization

This study investigates the conditions shaping the adoption and effective use of Digital Agricultural Technologies (DATs) in Canadian crop production, with a focus on Western Canada. Using a mixed methods approach, the study integrates findings from a scoping review, a cross-provincial producer survey, and semi-structured stakeholder interviews to explore both technical and socio-behavioural dimensions of digital agriculture. The scoping review, guided by the PRISMA-ScR framework, analyzed 83 peer-reviewed studies published since 2013 to map trends in DAT development, validation, and early-stage adoption across Canada. To assess producer behaviour, a structured online survey was conducted with 587 crop and livestock producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, focusing on data use practices, digital literacy, risk perceptions, and trust in data systems. Finally, 11 semi-structured interviews with producers, service providers, and policymakers in Alberta provided deeper insight into the operational, institutional, and attitudinal barriers to adoption. 

While technical progress in tools such as remote sensing, machine learning, and variable rate technologies is evident, the study finds that widespread and meaningful use is constrained by challenges in agronomic support, usability, data integration, and return on investment. Trust in data governance, particularly around ownership, privacy, and interoperability—is an emerging concern, while behavioral factors such as proactivity, transparency, and perceived risk strongly influence post-adoption data use. The findings highlight the need for a farmer-centered innovation ecosystem and propose policy directions including regionally targeted research investment, expanded advisory services, enforceable data governance frameworks, simplified adoption incentives, and open, interoperable data platforms to support a more inclusive and sustainable digital transition in Canadian agriculture. 

By Hanan Ishaque, Sabrina Gulab, Margarita Sanguinetti and Guillaume Lhermie