Harvesting the Power of Digital Agriculture.
Our Alberta Digitalization Agriculture Program is empowering producers, innovators, and policymakers with the insights to transform agriculture together.
This Alberta Government-funded three-year program unites agriculture stakeholders to build data literacy, identify solutions, and enable widespread ag tech adoption for a more transparent and productive food system.
The Challenge We're Addressing.
Agricultural technology holds immense potential, yet its benefits remain out of reach for many. While digital tools promise transformative benefits – from enhanced sustainability to significant cost savings – adoption remains fragmented. Success requires more than technology alone: it demands understanding the real barriers different stakeholders face, establishing trusted data practices, and creating policies that support meaningful change across our entire agri-food supply chain.
ABDIAG Objectives & Outcomes.
Digital agriculture transformation works best when built on real-world experience and stakeholder collaboration. Over three years, the Alberta Digitalization Agriculture Program (ABDIAG) is gathering insights from agricultural producers, food processors, ag tech innovators, and policymakers to develop data-driven solutions that serve everyone in Canada's agri-food system.
Through targeted agricultural research and direct stakeholder engagement, The Simpson Centre will focus on three core areas:
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Research & Assessment
We are conducting a comprehensive review of commercialized ag tech solutions and farming data practices across Canada and internationally, creating a clear picture of what's working, what is available, and where opportunities exist for the agriculture sector.
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Stakeholder Engagement
Through in-depth interviews, industry roundtables, and collaborative "Living Labs," The Simpson Centre is listening directly to producers, processors, innovators, and other key players to understand their real-world requirements, challenges, and ideas for moving forward.
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Knowledge Sharing
The insights we gather will be shared widely through accessible formats like research reports, webinars, policy briefs, and digital communications – ensuring every stakeholder has the information needed to make informed decisions about digital agriculture adoption.
- Raise awareness and create buy-in for available ag tech and its benefits in improving productivity, as well as land and animal stewardship.
- Promote the value of adopting digital technologies for data collection and regional risk management.
- Build capacity for data literacy and data use, enabling data-driven decision-making in the agricultural sector.
- Assess infrastructure requirements for digitalization (e.g., bandwidth in rural Alberta).
- Prioritize policy effectiveness (e.g., farm equipment subsidies).