207
© The Author(s) 2021
H. Campos (ed.), The Innovation Revolution in Agriculture,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50991-0_8
Chapter 8
Digital Technologies, Big Data,
and Agricultural Innovation
Steven T. Sonka
8.1 Introduction
For the future well-being of the global society, agricultural innovation is a necessity.
As it has been throughout history, having access to adequate amounts of food is an
uncertainty for many individuals across the world. For others, availability of reasonably safe, affordable food is somewhat taken for granted. For both groups, simply
continuing the practices of our current agricultural and food system is not sufficient
nor tenable as we look to the future.
Among the many stressors facing that system, four are of key importance. Global
population growth is expected to continue, particularly in those areas of the world
where food security is relatively weak. While this challenge suggests the need for
more food to be produced, the environmental effects of agricultural production
increasingly are recognized as having both immediate and long-term consequences
that are undesirable. Furthermore the prospects of a changing, more variable climate contribute to the need to enhance the resilience of current agricultural practices. And, fourth, consumers in both developed and developing countries are
demanding an even more nutritious and safe food supply.
S. T. Sonka (*)
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD, USA
Centrec Consulting Group LLC, Savoy, IL, USA
e-mail: ssonka@illinois.edu
© The Author(s) 2021
H. Campos (ed.), The Innovation Revolution in Agriculture,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50991-0_8
Chapter 8
Digital Technologies, Big Data,
and Agricultural Innovation
Steven T. Sonka
8.1 Introduction
For the future well-being of the global society, agricultural innovation is a necessity.
As it has been throughout history, having access to adequate amounts of food is an
uncertainty for many individuals across the world. For others, availability of reasonably safe, affordable food is somewhat taken for granted. For both groups, simply
continuing the practices of our current agricultural and food system is not sufficient
nor tenable as we look to the future.
Among the many stressors facing that system, four are of key importance. Global
population growth is expected to continue, particularly in those areas of the world
where food security is relatively weak. While this challenge suggests the need for
more food to be produced, the environmental effects of agricultural production
increasingly are recognized as having both immediate and long-term consequences
that are undesirable. Furthermore the prospects of a changing, more variable climate contribute to the need to enhance the resilience of current agricultural practices. And, fourth, consumers in both developed and developing countries are
demanding an even more nutritious and safe food supply.
S. T. Sonka (*)
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, USA
Ed Snider Center for Enterprise and Markets, University of Maryland,
College Park, MD, USA
Centrec Consulting Group LLC, Savoy, IL, USA
e-mail: ssonka@illinois.edu