SmaT - Smart technology for sustainable agriculture

Smart technology must take into account the environment and society. To implement technology in a large scale is a process in which market, culture and social acceptance affect how products are developed, shaped and whether it is used in a large scale at all. Knowledge from the project Smart technology for sustainable agriculture (SmaT) can contribute to a more balanced and mature technological development and innovation for increased sustainable production in Norwegian agriculture. The work has shown that technological development both presupposes and leads to market, regulatory and organizational changes. In the project, a model has been developed - Balanced Readiness Level assessment (BRLa) - which can make it easier to assess how mature a technology is from a technological, market, regulatory, social acceptance and organizational perspective, respectively. The model is published in a scientific article (Vik et al. 2021). A prototype of an online calculator has also been developed, which is a tool for assessing specific technologies. The prototype in Norwegian text is openly available for testing via the website at Ruralis. In the project, the technology studied is limited to outdoor technology in agriculture, such as sensor technology, precision agriculture, robotics, etc. This technology involves digital solutions with sensors, data registrations, etc. There is a lot of activity with many launching ideas and new technologies in different variants. At the same time, it can be registered that the degree of maturity for several of these technologies varies. It can be difficult for potential purchasers, investors, advisors and others, to evaluate the technologies to which they are asked to contribute in one way or another. Several actors in the sector will benefit from a supporting tool to be able to assess the maturity of technologies that are in a development phase before they enter the market. The model for balanced readiness assessment is a perspective and a tool that can be used operationally by business actors to assess how well developed different technologies are. In-depth studies have been carried out on the development of virtual fences, round bale technology and the use of drones, respectively. These studies show connections between technology and society. This includes society's framework for the development of technology, such as, for example, society's demands that animal welfare be emphasized through the use of virtual fences. We also see that in a socio-cultural perspective, virtual fence technology means that a new type of goat is emerging as a result of encounters between nature, culture and technology. We call this a cyborg goat. The study shows how smart technology is implemented in practice, and the challenges and barriers that this entails. The study also includes consequences for society that may result from the advent of technology, such as, for example, round ball technology has literally affected the Norwegian cultural landscape. Much of the technology research in society is about developing the new technology and making it possible for users to utilize both it and data from the technology. Here there may be reason to stop for a moment and ask some control questions. Which users really benefit from such data? Is added value created? Who retrieves the values? What are the side effects of the technology? Who benefits from or is affected by the side effects? How to ensure a balanced technology development? Will what is useful for the individual farmer or business also be useful for agriculture and society as a whole? The answers to this depend on each individual technology and the context in which it is included. Our contribution is to help such questions to be asked in connection with technology development. A final element in the project is to relate the technology to the companies' work with innovation, and what we can call the critical support functions in the various phases of innovation. Different phases require different support. Goals for increased sustainable production of food in a Norwegian context require new and smart technology adapted to small and large farms. Changing market conditions, socio-economic factors and established practices affect whether, and how, new technologies are incorporated into agriculture. The goal of the SmaT project was to help strengthen the development, adaptation and implementation of new sustainable technology. The project was a collaboration between Felleskjøpet Agri, the Norwegian Agricultural Cooperative and Mære Agricultural School and researchers from Ruralis and NTNU (Dept of Interdisc. Studies of Culture, and Dep of Sociology and Political Science). In addition, technology-oriented farmers and professionals have been involved through trade days and focus groups. The main funding was from the Norwegian Research Fund for Agriculture and Food Industry, while business and user partners have contributed their own efforts.

Fra prosjektet er det utarbeidet anbefalinger som kan øke betydningen av resultatene. For eksempel: Innovasjon i landbruket krever god støtte, økonomisk og politisk; ved implementering av teknologi bør det stilles spørsmål ved flere sider ved teknologen i en tidlig fase i utviklingen, for eksempel i form av en balansert modenhetsvurdering av ny teknologi (BRLa); mer forskning og økt bevissthet rundt langtidsvirkninger på samfunn og miljø som følge av ny teknologi; det er behov for å tilpasse teknologi til norske forhold. Betydningen av resultatene fra prosjektet er avhengig av i hvilken grad anbefalingene blir fulgt opp og tatt i bruk. Økt bevisstgjøring om teknologiens mangesidige virkninger bør lede til at det blir tatt hensyn til dette i en tidligere fase av teknologiutviklingen slik at en både kan få bedre tilpasset teknologi og mer effektiv og raskere teknologiutvikling. Dette vil gi bedre samfunnsnytte og bedre økonomisk effekt for teknologiutviklere.

The main objective of the SmaT-project is to contribute to technological development and innovation for increased sustainable agricultural production in Norway. We do that by addressing the following subgoals addressed in five R&D workpackages: 1. Build an overview of R&D projects on agricultural robots, drones, digitalisation, electrification, and precision agriculture, and assess TRL (Technology Readiness Level) in WP 1 2. Identify and analyse interfaces between technologies and legal, political and social frameworks for new Technologies in agriculture and assess Societal Readiness Levels (SRL) in WP 2 3. Explore market developments for new technologies in agriculture, and assess market readiness Levels (MRL) in WP 3 4. Analyse potentials and limitations for implementation of new technologies in agriculture in WP 3 5. Development of a technology innovation program in WP 5 A starting point for SmaT is that several of the new technologies that gradually are becoming ready for implementation in agriculture is fundamentally different from previous machinery and equipment connected to a standard tractor. Digitalisation, satellite screening of land, robots and drones, etc. potentially transcends current organisational forms, socio-cultural frames, institutional regulations, and agronomic practices. Consequently, also the way the market functions in providing new technologies are in flux. The project develop a novel methodology for systematic combination of three analytical concepts: Technology readiness level, market readiness level, and societal readiness level. This give us leverage to explore the potentials and ways to implement new technologies in Norwegian agriculture. The SmaT project consist of a team of experienced researchers, innovative key personnel, and promising researchers from Centre for rural Research, NTNU, Felleskjøpet Agri; Mære agricultural School, Federation of Norwegian agricultural Cooperatives, and Landbruk21, as well as innovative farmers.