Digitalization and Agriculture

Digitalization has long permeated many areas of agriculture. A significant part of administration, accounting, and funding applications is already carried out digitally on most farms. New technologies can make agriculture more efficient, enable better decision-making, contribute to sustainable production, and offer many other opportunities.

Objectives

Digitalization creates a wide range of new possibilities in crop and grassland farming: machines can be connected to the internet, and numerous data can be automatically collected and analyzed. This allows land to be managed more precisely, efficiently, and in an environmentally friendly way. The Ministry aims to promote these positive developments and help ensure they are accessible to all farms.

What We Are Working On

To achieve these goals, the Ministry has launched various initiatives, projects, and funding programs:

Applicability of New Technologies, Trends, and Developments for Agriculture

At the Innovation Farm locations in Wieselburg, Raumberg-Gumpenstein, and Mold, new technologies are tested and prepared for practical application. Through close integration with agricultural education, training, and advisory services, the knowledge gained is quickly transferred to farming operations.

Free RTK Signal for Agriculture

Under an administrative agreement with the Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying, the APOS-RTK signal has been provided free of charge to agriculture since February 1, 2021. This is an important foundation for the application and further development of precision agriculture in Austria.

Education and Training for Teachers and Advisory Staff

Through a comprehensive continuing education program at the University of Agricultural and Environmental Education, the necessary training and qualification foundations are established. With its own Institute for E-Learning and E-Didactics, the university provides important impulses for modern agricultural education.

Funding of Research Projects Related to Digitalization

The Ministry promotes practice-oriented research and conducts and supports research in the field of digitalization. In addition to ongoing activities, the Ministry of Agriculture currently provides two million euros for applied research projects related to digitalization that seek concrete solutions for practical agriculture.

Modern Education at Higher Agricultural and Forestry Schools

In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture invested more than 1.3 million euros in digitalization projects in the school sector. In addition to establishing a degree program in “Information Technology in Agriculture,” the technical equipment of schools was improved, laying the foundation for modern learning.