coala project

Dr Rebecca Cross

Stakeholder Engagement; In Conversation with Dr Rebecca Cross

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The success of any international project relies on the strength of its stakeholder engagement. So how do you engage stakeholders, across several countries and time zones while connecting the needs of a farmer in regional Australia with European space technology? This is exactly what Dr Rebecca Cross, a researcher from the University of Sydney, specialises…

Dr D'Urso completing fieldwork for the COALA project in Australia

Applications for AgTech; In Conversation with Dr Guido D’Urso

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Dr Guido D’Urso starts each day with a cup of Italian coffee as he reads his emails. Working on an international project, Dr D’Urso corresponds with his Australian colleagues in the morning, his European colleagues during the day, and his American peers in the evening. Guiding PhD students, coordinating postgraduate courses, and managing an international…

Dr De Michele presents work on the COALA project at a conference in Adelaide

AgTech and Ariespace; In Conversation with Dr Carlo De Michele

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Carlo De Michele is a very early riser, so arranging a conversation across the globe is no issue for him. Between making breakfast, the school run and zipping to work at Ariespace, on his motorbike, Dr De Michele finds the time to speak with us about creating and managing an international AgTech project. “My name…

Francesco Vuolo on a trip to Australia

Big Data for Agriculture; In Conversation with Francesco Vuolo

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Far from the dirt roads and flat landscapes of Australian farmland, Dr Francesco Vuolo calls me from the idyllic mountainous background of Austria. Dr Vuolo speaks with me about the big data for agriculture that COALA uses for its projects, drawing from a wealth of experience working with satellite data.  Based at the University of…

Agricultural Technology. Anthony Rudd, a well known agronomist interviewed by COALA

Agricultural Technology in Australia; In conversation with Anthony Rudd

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COALA prides itself on its connection with on-the-ground experts, and Anthony Rudd is a perfect example of this role. We spoke with Rudd about agricultural technology (AgTech) in Australia and how Aussie growers use this agricultural data. When Rudd speaks, you can tell he lives and breathes Australian agriculture. Rudd is the managing director of…

The Future of AgTech with Graciela Metternicht

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It is important for the future of sustainability and the planet that we keep pushing the limits of Earth Observation technologies in support of landscape productivity. Continuing the conversation with Professor Graciela Metternicht, we discuss the potential of AgTech in supporting both farming and environmental sustainability. “The potential [of AgTech] is mind blowing, there are…

In Conversation with Tim McClelland

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Windarra Farm is a six and a half thousand hectare property, home to Tim McClelland and his family. The property is bright with vast green fields, the bustle of working dogs, and at the right time of the year, poddy lambs. Tim is a fourth-generation farmer, his family has been responsible for Windarra Farm since…

In Conversation with Kate Finger

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Following wide open highways and flowering canola paddocks you will find Birchip, a small town 300kms northwest of Melbourne. Along with a bakery awarded the best vanilla slice in Australia, Birchip is also home to Birchip Cropping Group (BCG). A few doors down from the famous bakery is Kate Finger’s office. Kate is a Research…

Relationship between learning about a product or service

Farmer ambivalence when it comes to new technologies

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To adopt or not to adopt Research only translates to commercialisation when it is practically driven. In 2017 when a group of researchers from CSIRO and the University of Western Australia tried to predict farmer uptake of new agricultural practices (including products and technologies), they focused on researcher design rather than farmer uptake (Figure 1)….

tell-us-what-you-want-COALA-project

Tell us what you want, what you really, really, want

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What does co-creation and consulting with our end-users tell us? Many people make products before actually checking out what the people who will use this product want or need. These products don’t necessarily serve the demands they were created for. They can also have user interfaces that don’t suit the customer’s needs. Consequently, they have…