Digital agriculture is a novel method to meet the global challenge of increasing food production for a growing population, while not degrading our soil and water resources in the process.
This theme focuses on the knowledge underpinning and research required to deliver a functioning digitally-enabled production and supply chain for agricultural food and fibre. It is an approach that brings to bear the power of digital and information technologies to the business of agriculture with great potential for success.
85% Australia's land mass contributes to 85% our domestic food supply
15% Agriculture contributes to 15% of our export earnings
300k Agriculture employs 300,000 people in production and 1.6 million people throughout the entire food and fibre supply chain.
The Digital Agriculture Theme within Sydney Institute of Agriculture and the  brings together researchers across the university with expertise and skills to realise the opportunity provided by Digital Agriculture.
This project focuses on developing a robust, scalable system for mapping weed presence across broadacre farms using drone and satellite-based remote sensing. Delivered in collaboration with SmartSat CRC, DataFarming, and GRDC, the project integrates high-resolution imagery and deep learning to identify weed-infested regions and support variable-rate herbicide application. It takes advantage of the increasing array of commercial satellite platforms which offer spatial resolutions of less than 50 cm.
This project focuses on developing a commercially viable tool for the early detection of disease risks and active infections in grain crops at the paddock scale. It integrates earth observation data, on-farm information, mechanistic disease models, and data-driven approaches for comprehensive disease monitoring. The solution aims to reduce reliance on manual scouting, enabling growers and agronomists to target interventions more effectively. The project is being delivered in collaboration with SmartSat CRC, DataFarming, and GRDC.
