ComputerWorld.in

Case study: A greener environment through better data management

An agricultural research group is encouraging Australian grain farmers to join a National Farming Practices Database, an online central repository which includes detailed growing reports and productivity updates.
Called the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the group saw the need to help farmers improve productivity through better decision making
The database was revamped last year and is designed for grain farms to get a better environmental handle on the practices they are using. According to Alan Umbers, manager of the Pathways to EMS project directed by the GRDC, which is a joint venture between the federal government and the Grains Council of Australia, there is a natural link between the database and environmental management.
"Many of today's farming practices have both productivity and environmental benefits," he said. "So if we can better identify which practices have positive environmental effects it will lead to better environmental outcomes across the industry."
Limited by Australian Bureau of Statistics data, which is only recorded once every five years, the only option for the Grains Council to learn what's happening on grain farms is from the farmers themselves.
"It's a simple process that involves farmers entering data directly on a form on their computer. Once this is done - a procedure which takes around 20 minutes - they will receive a detailed report showing productivity and sustainability information for their own farm," Umbers said.
To his surprise, the grain farmers have so far been happy to contribute to the database and freely give out their information.
"There is a natural curiosity to see how well their farm is going. They're always looking to learn from each other and are quite willing to share information about what they do on their farms, and this [database] is a small extension of that."