Farms' 'digital twins' to help solve agriculture problems

Sunday 24 February 2019

'Digital twins' of two farms in Jersey have been created to help solve the problems facing agriculture.

The initiative came about after Digital Jersey signed an agreement Rothamsted Research, an agricultural science research centre, who will work on the digital duplicates.

The virtual models will include layers of data and simulations that can be used by policymakers from a range of sectors, including the environment, public health, the rural economy and culture. It is hoped the collaboration between sectors will help find long-term solutions to the world’s growing concern over the future of agriculture.

It is believed that digital technology is going to transform the agriculture industry over the next five to ten years. Digital Jersey hopes that creating a virtual version of Jersey will help figure out what that change will look like and how Jersey can preserve its agricultural heritage while demonstrating its ability to seize market advantage through innovation. The online version of the farms will help test various scenarios, with the input of stakeholders, before any theories are put into practice.

Pictured: The virtual model of local farms will include layers of data and simulations to help test possible scenarios of the future of farming. 

Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey, said: "This memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Rothamsted Research heralds one of the most exciting digital developments in recent years. At a time when our Sandbox Jersey proposition is encouraging businesses and entrepreneurs from around the world to consider Jersey as a digital testbed, thanks to our cutting-edge digital infrastructure, having such a globally-renowned research institute choose the Island for this work is a huge vote of confidence for us."

"We want to be an enabler for entrepreneurs, start-ups and established businesses," Mr Moretta added. "We strive to attract people leading the dialogue on applied technologies to Jersey, and in turn boost the local economy, and build momentum for our efforts to upskill the local workforce. Having Rothamsted Research here with us highlights the fact that tech is no longer just a sector in its own right, rather it helps strengthen a range of industries, from finance to tourism, and in this case agriculture. Through this partnership we will see opportunities for those seeking a career in the tech sector expand further than ever before."

Pictured: Tony Moretta, CEO of Jersey.

Professor John Crawford at Rothamsted Research said: "We are delighted to be working with Digital Jersey on this pioneering project. The future of agriculture and the world’s food systems host problems which have the potential to affect every person on the planet. By digitally testing a range of theories in a controlled environment supported by detailed data and Digital Jersey’s excellent relationships with industry and government, we hope to fast track our work for the good of everybody."

Representatives of Digital Jersey, Rothamsted Research, University College London, The Jersey Royal Company, Jersey Dairy, Jersey Water, Albert Bartlett, The Cooperative Society, Virtex, and a number of government departments will form a project management team to oversee the work which began this month.