Horizon Scanning Opportunities for New Technologies and Industries by Grant Hamilton, Levi Swann, Vibhor Pandey, Char-lee Moyle, Jeremy Opie and Akira Dawson July 2019 © 2019 AgriFutures Australia All rights reserved. Horizon Scanning – Opportunities for New Technologies and Industries: Final Report Publication No. 19-028 Project No. PRJ-011108 The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable regions. You must not rely on any information contained in this publication without taking specialist advice relevant to your particular circumstances. While reasonable care has been taken in preparing this publication to ensure that information is true and correct, the Commonwealth of Australia gives no assurance as to the accuracy of any information in this publication. The Commonwealth of Australia, AgriFutures Australia, the authors or contributors expressly disclaim, to the maximum extent permitted by law, all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any act or omission, or for any consequences of any such act or omission, made in reliance on the contents of this publication, whether or not caused by any negligence on the part of the Commonwealth of Australia, AgriFutures Australia, the authors or contributors. The Commonwealth of Australia does not necessarily endorse the views in this publication. This publication is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved. However, wide dissemination is encouraged. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to AgriFutures Australia Communications Team on 02 6923 6900. Researcher Contact Details Name: Dr Grant Hamilton Address: QUT, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD 4001 Phone: +61 3138 2318 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to AgriFutures Australia publishing this material in its edited form. AgriFutures Australia Contact Details Building 007, Tooma Way Charles Sturt University Locked Bag 588 Wagga Wagga NSW 2650 02 6923 6900 [email protected] www.agrifutures.com.au Electronically published by AgriFutures Australia at www.agrifutures.com.au in July 2019 AgriFutures Australia is the new trading name for Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC), a statutory authority of the Federal Government established by the Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989. ii Foreword Emerging technologies and new industries have the potential to transform Australian agriculture and will be a key contributor in growing the sector towards becoming Australia’s next $100 billion industry. AgriFutures Australia plays an important role in identifying these opportunities early and developing an ecosystem for technology development and adoption as well as supporting emerging industries to prosper and grow. This report is the culmination of two years’ work by the Queensland University of Technology, uncovering 39 unique emerging technologies with potential for game-changing impact on Australia’s rural industries. Many of the emerging technologies showcased have been identified by industry experts as having significant commercial impact and transferability from overseas or non-agricultural domains for use on Australian farms or within the agricultural value chain. AgriFutures Australia is pleased to demonstrate, through this report, the diverse and significant opportunities for developing and integrating emerging technologies into the agriculture sector. Capitalising on the insights developed for emerging technologies, the report also summarises 24 new agriculture industries that have the potential to develop due to the influence of emerging technologies. In the agriculture sector particularly, we know that emerging technologies have a range of possible impacts on the emergence of new industries. In some cases, the role is to enhance the viability of existing industries, such as through improving productivity and efficiency. In others, technology assumes a transformational role, developing entirely new ways of doing things and facilitating new products to address both growing and emerging markets. In either case, it will be essential to identify how technology can continue to build innovative agricultural industries and ensure the long-term prosperity of the sector. This work underscores the opportunity to think differently and look in new places for how the sector can continue to innovate and grow. The findings are particularly relevant to new and existing producers seeking to diversify their business either through the adoption of new technology or to expand their enterprise mix with novel industries. Equally, this work presents longer-term trends for what the future of agricultural innovation looks like and gives us a window into the possibilities, stretching our perspectives beyond what we currently know to the opportunities that exist into the future. Some of the technologies identified through the five Horizon Scans have already been adopted, such as LoRaWAN and personal analytics, while others may be more futuristic. The addition of the analysis covering new and emerging industries is a useful addition when evaluating the multitude of opportunities for the future of the sector. This report is an addition to AgriFutures Australia’s diverse range of over 2000 research publications and it forms part of our Emerging Industries arena, which aims to support new and emerging rural industries. A series of five horizon scans have been published through this project and are available, along with most of AgriFutures Australia’s publications, for free downloading or purchasing online at: www.agrifutures.com.au. John Harvey Managing Director AgriFutures Australia iii Acknowledgments The research provider Queensland University of Technology acknowledges the financial assistance of AgriFutures Australia in order to undertake this project. The contributions of members of the Australian rural industries, who gave their time to participate in surveys as part of this research, are also acknowledged. iv Contents Foreword ................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... iv Executive Summary ................................................................................................................. vii Methodology ..................................................................................................................... vii Summary of Watchlist ....................................................................................................... vii Emerging Agriculture Industries ...................................................................................... viii Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 2 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 2 Horizon Scans ...................................................................................................................... 2 New Industries Scans .......................................................................................................... 5 Iterative Surveys with Technology Domain Experts ........................................................... 6 Summary of Watchlist ............................................................................................................... 8 Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies .............................................................. 8 Data Technologies ............................................................................................................. 11 Biotechnology and Genomics Technologies ..................................................................... 14 Renewable Energy Technologies ...................................................................................... 17 Business Model Technologies ........................................................................................... 20 Advanced Material Technologies ...................................................................................... 24 Emerging Agriculture Industries .............................................................................................. 26 Medicinal Marijuana ......................................................................................................... 28 Hemp Milk ........................................................................................................................ 28 Hydroponic Berries ........................................................................................................... 29 Hydroponic Chinese (Asian) Vegetables .......................................................................... 30 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 31 Appendices ..............................................................................................................................