By Alice McFarlane

Symposium discusses data ownership in agriculture

Mar 4, 2022 | 3:00 PM

MELFORT, Sask. — Primary production agriculture is changing rapidly due to major developments in digital “smart” technology. Farmers use and share information from their “smart” devices on everything from weather and soil data to seed, fertilizer, and chemical recommendations.

The Canadian Centre for the Study of Cooperatives (CCSC) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), the BC Co-op Association, and the Alberta Community and Co-op Association are hosting a session on agricultural data.

The symposium will examine who owns and benefits from the big ag data that is being collected, ways of addressing privacy and data sharing concerns, and alternative policies and organizational models that can help create fair data ownership.

Dr. Murray Fulton, an agricultural economist and professor in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at USask, said the symposium is an opportunity to start the conversation.

“Now is the time to talk about these things and figure out a path forward,” Fulton said. “From our conversations we know there is a real appetite amongst producers, farm organizations, co-operatives and private businesses to understand and resolve the big questions of ownership, control, privacy and use.”

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In August 2021, CCSC released a report that examined the response in Canada and elsewhere by farmers, agri-business firms, agricultural organizations, and governments on the emergence of digital technologies.

The Mar. 25 symposium will examine recommendations in the report and what players in Canadian agriculture could be doing.

This is a hybrid event where attendees can register and join in person at the Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. or online via live streaming.

Both online and in-person attendees will have the ability to engage with the speakers and each other during the event.

The complete agenda is available here.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW