Why It Matters

South African grain and oilseed farmers face increasing challenges from rising input costs, climate variability, and the need to maximise productivity on existing land. Traditional blanket input recommendations fail to capture the variability of soils, weather, and cropping systems across regions. The Data Intensive Farm Management project harnesses big data, precision agriculture, and large-scale on-farm trials to provide evidence-based recommendations for seed and fertiliser use in canola, maize, soybeans, and wheat. This work ensures that farmers can optimise inputs for both profitability and sustainability, strengthening food security and sector competitiveness.

Research Approach

The Data Intensive Farm Management project applies large-scale on-farm trials that generate thousands of observations in real production conditions, far beyond the limits of small plot trials. By systematically varying seeding and fertiliser rates across commercial fields, the project collects high-resolution data, including “as-planted,” “as-applied,” yield, soil chemical, and physical information. This data is cleaned, statistically analysed, and used to develop yield response functions for key crops. Complementary activities include a systematic literature review, a national survey of precision agriculture adoption, and dissemination of findings through scientific articles and farmer-focused publications.

Research Impact to Farmers

Farmers gain practical, field-tested insights into how variable rate seeding and fertilisation can improve yields and profitability. For example, soybean trials showed that optimised seeding rates outperformed farmer practices, boosting yields by up to 990 kg/ha. While benefits vary by region, the findings demonstrate the economic potential of precision practices, particularly in fields with high variability. Farmers also benefit from extension articles, farmer days, and direct feedback reports, ensuring that complex big data analyses are translated into practical, on-farm recommendations.

Resources

Reports

Quarterly DIFM Progress Reports (2023–2025)

• National Survey on Precision Agriculture Adoption in South Africa (submitted 2025)

Articles

• Popular articles in Grain SA Magazine and other farmer publications

Collaborators & Research Leads

Project Leads

• Prof Pieter Swanepoel – Stellenbosch University
• Dr Karen Truter – Stellenbosch University (PhD researcher, DIFM)
• Collaborating Institutions
• Stellenbosch University – Department of Agronomy
• Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP)
• University of Illinois
• Grain SA
• Protein Research Foundation (PRF)