Optimizing stewardship of the land?

Digital agriculture and the ideology of optimization in Canadian policy and media discourse

Authors

  • Sarah Marquis University of Ottawa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v11i3.685

Keywords:

Digital agriculture, nitrogen fertilizer, optimization, sustainable agriculture

Abstract

This research considers the ways in which digital agriculture (DA) technologies (like robotic machinery, big data applications, farm management software platforms and drones) fit into discourses of sustainable agriculture in the Canadian political and media landscape. To undertake this research, I conducted a discourse analysis of relevant government and media materials published between 2016 and 2022. What became evident was an ideology of optimization, which works to communicate that environmental sustainability needs to and will be optimized using DA technologies. I then consider how these findings are related to the federal fertilizer emissions reduction target, aiming to reduce emissions arising from fertilizer application in agricultural contexts by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. I argue that discourse regarding this target deploys the ideology of optimization to keep current systems of fertilizer use in place, solidifying further the industrial and productivist paradigm of agriculture in Canada.

Author Biography

Sarah Marquis, University of Ottawa

Sarah Marquis recently received her PhD in Environmental Sustainability from the Institute of the Environment at the University of Ottawa. She is a critical social scientist whose research focusses on the intersection between environmental justice, digital technologies and food systems.

A closeup of lemons and oranges on a blue and white platter

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Published

2024-12-17

How to Cite

Marquis, S. (2024). Optimizing stewardship of the land? : Digital agriculture and the ideology of optimization in Canadian policy and media discourse. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 11(3), 113–141. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v11i3.685

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2024): Pathways to decolonial governance and planetary health

Section

Research Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Sarah Marquis

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