WA Farm Data Sharing
Balwinder Singh’s global journey with agricultural data modelling
Balwinder Singh is no stranger to agriculture, having grown up in Punjab, India raised among wheat and cotton fields, interest in agricultural science was almost inevitable
DPIRD’s Project Lead Balwinder Singh in the field
Mr Singh brings to the team a Master of Science in Agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University, a PhD from Charles Sturt University, and a compendium of experience working across various international agricultural research institutions.
Mr Singh says it was his studies that really piqued his interest in developing simulation models.
“It was here, I started testing and using the models for decision-making in agriculture” he said.
“But it wasn’t until undertaking a PhD at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga and CSIRO, that I was formally trained in using and developing simulation models.
This initial interest was further fortified working in international agricultural research institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) in Mexico
He says this is where he really cut his teeth is development.
“I started developing various types of datasets including agronomic and soils data from field trials, farm surveys, remote sensing data, to be used in modern agronomy tools like dynamic simulation models, data mining, and scenario analysis to understanding how cropping systems function.
“This was where I really observed the power of data to establish key entry points for sustainable intensification, and to devise and evaluate the performance of promising innovations.
“These large datasets gave me the opportunity to develop data-driven agriculture decision models that are responsive to variations in farmer investment capabilities, infrastructure, weather forecast information.
“From this data we worked to disseminate recommendations to farmers to optimise their returns,” he said.
Mr Singh pointed to a proverb when interviewed – ‘When a person is full, they have a thousand wishes, but a hungry person has only one.’
His work building models to interrogate large datasets and develop data-driven agricultural decisions allows he and his team to identify the gaps that support this adage.
“Interacting with farmers in their own fields and collecting data for simulation models to generate usable information for research and extension is part of addressing the one need of the hungry people of the world,” he said.
This is good news for the WA Farm Data Sharing team as they welcome Mr Singh to the role of project lead, taking the baton from predecessor Dr Adam Sparks.
“This project is one of few examples of the establishment of a full data value chain where the end user (Farmer) is accessing actionable information to optimise their farms profitability based on their farm data,” he said.
“The most fascinating thing for me about this project is to see our modelling results validated by farmers in their fields.
“We have set up a seamless process to gather and securely transfer of farmer’s and other diverse data types, laying the foundation to empower precision agriculture and accelerate its adoption.”
