Agri- intelligence targets the increasing complexity of farming enterprise operations arising from increasing availability of data, connectedness of decisions, and seeking to optimise operations more tightly, and at finer scales, than ever before.

This project identified current situational awareness about the diversity and complexity of the decision space in cotton production as well as data and information use and utilisation gaps within the industry. In tandem, the project examined the information flows from the cotton value chain, including a segment-by- segment outline of key issues, data creation and use, and consequences of on-farm decision-making.

The chief outcome of the project is a method for identifying and evaluating digital technology investment opportunities in the Australian cotton industry. The method is informed by the findings from the analysis of on-farm decision-making and for the potential for new information flows from the value chain. This method can inform the case for different agri-intelligence solutions in cotton production and also assist CRDC with decisions about their research investment portfolio to transition the sector towards its goals as set in CRDC’s Futures Program, which seeks to transform the industry to ensure it is more profitable, sustainable and competitive in the next 20 years.

The report closes with a strategy for segmenting on-farm decision-making for future research. This is a detailed method for identifying and evaluating investment opportunities in new digital technologies that can inform recommendations for continued investment in related areas of research.