The NSW Government has today announced it will expand the life of its $33 million Farms of the Future Agtech program to 2028.
The Program is designed to drive the uptake of state-of-the-art agriculture technology, which is estimated to boost on-farm productivity by up to 25%, equating to a $3 billion increase in GVP per year.
The expanded program, which previously targeted 11 LGAS, will now be open to all NSW farmers and will be more sharply focused on accelerating the adoption of Agtech and education around it, said Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty.
“The changes to our Farms for the Future program are about helping more farmers understand and reap the enormous benefits of Agtech including increased productivity, better farm management and greater connectivity,” said Ms Moriarty.
“Agtech provides more reliable and current information, helping farmers make better and quicker decisions that supports both productivity and sustainability.
“This transition to a broader state-wide program, will help farmers really embrace Agtech solutions and ensure they are supported every step of the way.”
Agtech includes new technologies and innovations that have the potential to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture.
It includes sensors and devices that enable real time monitoring of on-ground conditions such as weather, soil moisture and water supplies as well as devices, hardware and software that enable automation and robotics.
The program will also focus on addressing key barriers faced by farmers in the take up of Agtech such as on-farm connectivity, digital capability, unclear benefits and poor user experience.
Changes to the program include a broader education offering, ensuring farmers feel equipped with the knowledge and expertise they need to get the most out of Agtech on their property.
The program changes include:
- Industry specific training courses which cover fundamentals right through to aspects of new technology;
- Demonstration Hubs, located in 10 DPIRD research stations across the state, will allow farmers to witness firsthand how devices operate in real farm settings, observe the data collected, understand how farms use this data;
- Agtech Alley which is a designated space for Agtech suppliers at major field days to connect directly with farmers;
- Agtech Toolbox which is an extensive resource offering articles, case studies and how-to-videos.
Further information on The Farms of the Future Program is available here.
