Agriculture is becoming increasingly complex and producers must secure their profitability, sustainability, and freedom to operate under a progressively more challenging set of constraints such as climate change, regulatory pressure, changes in consumer preferences, increasing cost of inputs, and commodity price volatility.

We have not, however, yet reached the level of data interoperability required for a truly "smart" farming that can tackle the aforementioned problems at scale. Standards, as "recipes for reality" that can be shared across an industry, typically pave the way for scalability in technology adoption, but the data standards landscape in agriculture is still fragmented and incomplete. 

In this context, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has chartered a Strategic Advisory Group for Smart Farming (SAG). This group of approximately 200 experts from over 20 countries is working over a 12-month period to a) Document the landscape of standards pertaining to smart farming; b) Understand the gaps in that landscape and assess their impact on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and c) Make a prioritized set of recommendations for action. These outcomes will be published in the form of a roadmap document.

This presentation will cover the context and early history of the SAG; scoping decisions that have been taken to date (e.g., focus on data and data exchange); guiding principles that have been adopted; methodology, challenges, early results; and how you can get involved (Start by reaching us at smartfarming@iso.org).