New Zealand Bioeconomy in a Digital Age

The New Zealand Bioeconomy in the Digital Age (NZBIDA) programme looks to harness the power of digital technologies to enable the transformation of New Zealand food systems.

What is NZBIDA?

NZBIDA is an AgResearch integrated research programme established in 2018 that focuses on the entire value chain.

By harnessing the power of digital technology, our vision is to create a future where food systems are based on diversified, sustainable, resilient and economically prosperous land-uses.

This future will harness the power of digital technologies to effect change across the entire agricultural value chain. It will also feature a fundamental shift from linear volume-based production to formulate novel value propositions which reward and include different environmental, social and cultural principles.

It’s a big, laudable, ambitious vision. But the world has been afforded an opportunity – a digital technology revolution – that can become a key agent for change, catalysing transformation and creating the transdisciplinary approach required to reach this common goal.

Our future digital bioeconomy will be powered by making sense and order of data. Our job is to provide tools, advice and frameworks to influence, facilitate and enable informed value chain decision-making with the ultimate goal of future-proofing the business of farming.

Our farming legacy is rich in innovation; resourcefulness and Kiwi ingenuity are baked into our farming DNA. NZBIDA will fuse this with science and digital know-how to ensure New Zealand farming is at the vanguard of future digital innovation.

We want to demonstrate that digital technologies - co-designed with stakeholders - enable us to implement practices across the value chain based on strong sustainability, resilience and well-being that were not conceivable or achievable before.

Why NZBIDA?

The future looks bright - here's how AgResearch will create impact using digital technology.

New technology development in the primary sector is moving at pace but tends to be implemented in piecemeal fashion, mainly covering single issues.

We believe digital solutions can deliver on their potential to transform the New Zealand bioeconomy only when they are understood and developed within the context of the complex interweaving of the technical, biophysical, policy and social dimensions of the bioeconomy.

They can make a major contribution to achieving sustainability, resilience, adaptability and flexibility in food systems that foster the wellbeing of all livings things involved (farmers, communities, farm animals and wildlife and ecosystem health) and produce food that meets consumer needs.

The NZBIDA programme allows us to test this. Integration and systems understanding is AgResearch’s strength.

NZBIDA phases

NZBIDA Phase One (2018-2020)

Over 18 months, we completed 20 case studies to establish Proofs of Concept (PoCs) relating to use of digital technologies through the value web. Each PoC addressed one or more of our five Programme Outcomes.

These PoCs included developing new knowledge and scientific methods, the application of and/or development of sensors, and the use of new analytics. These are a rich source for further development and/or implementation. And learnings from Phase One were taken into Phase Two.

NZBIDA: Phase Two (2020 onwards)

We co-developed this programme with stakeholders, Māori, scientists and international stakeholders.

It is well recognised that New Zealand’s bioeconomy needs to transform in light of global and national drivers. New Zealand needs to transform to a bioeconomy that delivers the following long-term outcomes:

prosperous land-based enterprises
protected, enhanced and sustained natural resources
added-value foods and bio-based products that meet consumer needs

These deliverables align with the AgResearch Science Plan.

AgResearch Science Plan 2019

Download (pdf 606 KB)

Our workstreams

The programme has four distinct workstreams that look to:

Develop examples of new science that underpin digital solutions
Develop specific examples of where and how to use digital technologies and provide solutions that catalyse and facilitate new value chains
Undertake Māori led co-development of digital technologies with Māori agri-businesses founded on tikanga and Kaupapa Māori
Focus on developing co-designed outcome solutions that use integrated multi-disciplinary research teams
Integrate the human element required to achieve transformation, including around adoption and use of technology.

They are:

1. Designing, monitoring and managing agro-ecosystems within multi-functional landscapes

Testing that digital technologies can support strategic decision-making at the farm scale and lead to stronger food system sustainability and resilience. Here we focus on layers of data about landscapes, natural resources (including soils, waterways, terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity) integrated with processor, consumer and societal feedback.

2. Transforming interactions with consumers through the value chain

Exploring how digital technology can be used to (a) assess, interpret, and anticipate changes in consumer needs, so that our production systems are more flexible and truly address consumer wellbeing, and (b) design new products and processes to meet consumer needs.

3. Supporting tactical and operational decision making with digital technologies integrated by design

Integrating artificial intelligence, computer science, and data capture technologies within the farm system to support the complex decision-making processes underpinning the envisioned, diversified agri-ecosystems.

4. An animal-centric dairy industry enabled by digital technology

Establishing easier access to metrics of animal welfare; enabled by integration of data, models and digital technologies; and improved on-farm decision-making and providing transparency along the supply chain.

FAQs

Below are answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

What is the problem you are trying to solve?

The programme will test the hypothesis that digital technologies are vastly more effective in addressing difficult problems than using reductionist approaches.
What do you mean by digital technology?

By “digital technology” we mean volumes of data (collection enabled by sensors), new analytics, models, robotics, Internet of Things, Machine learning, Digital platforms, such as e-commerce platforms, apps, visualisation tools or e-extension websites. These enable transformation through unearthing and delivering new science insights and outputs and to provide new solutions for achieving sustainability, resilience, adaptability and flexibility in food systems. All have the potential to disrupt current business models.
How have you tested your reasoning behind NZBIDA?
Our thinking has developed over the first two years of NZBIDA Phase 1, based on a wide range of science and market signals. In early 2020 we undertook a series of co-design workshops with stakeholders. They told us they want:
- Value chain control for farmers and consumers
- Quadruple bottom line food and fibre sector improvement
- Tools and technologies for pro-active decision-making
- A respected NZ bioeconomy
- Acknowledgement for NZ as world technology leaders in sustainable food production
Why such a focus on integration?

We believe digital solutions can deliver on their potential to transform the New Zealand bioeconomy only when they are understood and developed within the context of the complex interweaving of the technical, biophysical, policy and social dimensions of the bioeconomy.

The NZBIDA programme allows us to test this. Integration and systems understanding is AgResearch’s strength.
What is a ‘Proof of Concept’?

The programme will test the hypothesis that digital technologies are vastly more effective in addressing difficult problems than using reductionist approaches. The programme aims to: enable science excellence, leading to new options/solutions being developed; catalyse more effective multi-disciplinary working (new ways of working); deliver value creation/protection within rural businesses. A proof of concept is evidence, typically deriving from an experiment or pilot project, which demonstrates that a design concept, business proposal is feasible.