Mini Symposium: The Food Value Chain in the Digital Age

• Agricultural Economics Workshop

Date and Location

Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
ARE Library Conference Room, 4101 Social Sciences and Humanities

Abstract

What will farms and the food system look like 10, 20 and 50 years from now as farmers and the food industry increasingly adopt new digital technologies? How will this impact increasingly expensive labor, growing inequality, market organization and demand for food and fiber? What will be the implications for farm labor, rural communities, primary production, distribution, retail, and the consumer? What are the opportunities for productive scholarship in this domain? How can we at the University of California, Davis contribute to understanding these transformative changes, their economic and social implications, and the potential roles for public policy. This workshop is meant to convene researchers and students at UCD from a variety of disciplines and fields of science and engineering who share an interest in studying and understanding the technical, economic, and social implications of the digital revolution as it relates to farms and the food value chain. We understand that diverse strands of work are underway in several departments and centers on our campus. We see potential for benefits from a conversation to explore
possibilities for new collaborative ventures and pursuing substantial external funding to help establish UC Davis as the world leader in studies of digital platforms, artificial intelligence, big data and other aspects of the digital revolution as they relate to agriculture and the food value chain. The workshop seeks to make connections, initiate a conversation and provide the foundation for next steps.