Digital Literacy for Small to Mid-Size Farms Phase 2

The Partnership is proud to partner with the University of Georgia Tifton Campus (UGA), Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), Workings Farms Fund and other agricultural stakeholders from across the state of Georgia to conduct a digital literacy research project focused on supporting small to mid-size farms.

There is a growing gap between the technological resources available to agricultural producers, and the utilization of those resources. Farmers need knowledge of software and hardware resources (exposure), high-speed broadband and over-the-air access to Internet resources (connectivity) and the skill (training) to use them. The region lacks an example farm of the future (integrated farmland, technology, and data) for producers to learn to transfer this technological knowledge to data-driven solutions.

UGA, ABAC and stakeholders have developed and submitted a USDA proposal for the “Farm of the Future” to address the need to improve digital literacy as well as develop and demonstrate technologies for the small and mid-sized producers. If funded, it will integrate precision crop and livestock production systems with data-driven technologies to provide a framework for creating a long-term sustainable Farm Site that is environmentally sound, socially acceptable, and economically viable for small and medium-size producers.

The “Digital Literacy for Small to Mid-Size Farms” project will support the completion of objectives intended to stand alone while simultaneously providing a jump start for the work related to the “Farm of the Future” proposal. Additionally, the outcomes of this project will have a significant benefit to the precision teaching at ABAC.