The crossovers between agriculture and high-tech industry will make the latter more important to agriculture. The new products and product-service systems that it will offer, have major implications on work force, farm size, rural areas, and public perception of agriculture. Successful societal acceptance and transition towards these products and comprehensive systems depends on societal support, farmer and high-tech firms’ commitment to the technology as well as consumer acceptance of the products that result from it. At the Human-Media interaction group, we work on two aspects related to the transition and societal aspects:
- One of these product are robots that operate in the fields or greenhouses. This technology has the potential to enable ecological farming practices. But how will they impact the farmer’s ability to manage their farm? What information do farmers need, and how can they operate these robots?
- Linking the data interfaces of high-tech systems to mass media outlets, such as social media has the potential to increase farmer’s welfare and wellbeing by creating greater connectedness to peers and the larger community. How can we connect “the farm” to those who consume the produce of the farm and how could this influence societal aspects?
Videos:
NL: https://youtu.be/uJDv6G3OSYA
ENG: https://youtu.be/uTQjRYOQ8Oo?si=-WJWsmoFYl11DvR6
Contact person:
Bob Schadenberg
b.r.schadenberg@utwente.nl
+31 (0) 53 489 1011