Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) co-investment in grains research, development and extension (RD&E) data and insights
Australian growers will benefit from a renewed focus on grains research, development and extension (RD&E) data and insights with the announcement of a five-year strategic partnership aimed at harnessing analytics to drive the sector’s profitability and global competitiveness.
Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) is a co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) with strategic partners Curtin University, The University of Queensland (UQ) and University of Adelaide.
This new research will build on the foundational work done under the GRDC’s $23.8 million Statistics for the Australian Grains Industry 3 (SAGI3) investment, which delivered vital information for the grains sector between 2016 and 2023. During this period SAGI3 provided statistical expertise to more than 210 GRDC investments totalling more than $490 million.
GRDC managing director Nigel Hart says “AAGI would work to unleash the potential of statistics, machine learning, data fusion and analytics for Australian grain growers, aiming for the “unconstrained adoption of analytics-driven decision-making. Our RD&E projects require a rigorous, data-driven approach, so statistical and analytical capabilities are critical for converting raw data into meaningful knowledge for grain growers and the broader grains industry. As such GRDC is committing $36 million over five years to AAGI, which complements a $56 million co-investment from the initiative’s three strategic partners at Curtin University, The University of Queensland and the University of Adelaide. This investment will support Australian grain growers to be world leaders in analytics-driven decision making, which will drive efficiency and precision and support farm enterprise risk management.”
Over a decade ago, GRDC identified the value of investment in statistics for the Australian grains industry and AAGI will be a significant step change in that approach. As a result of these investments, growers now benefit from better germplasm selections in pre-breeding programs, clearer research-driven agronomic recommendations, and tools that use data to support on-farm decision-making.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne says Curtin is proud to be involved in this new globally significant partnership that will directly address challenges and opportunities associated with a data driven future for agriculture.
“AAGI will involve researchers from our Centre for Crop and Disease Management, as well as other Curtin research groups who are already well known for their expertise in industry engagement, biometry, sampling and experimental design, bioinformatics, spatial modelling and machine learning, computer vision and artificial intelligence, econometrics, optimisation and more,” Professor Hayne says.
