The importance of accounting-integrated information systems for realising productivity and sustainability in the agricultural sector

Agricultural information systems are an integral part of modern farming and are helping to make a significant contribution to improved farm productivity and profitability. To date, however, there has been a failure to integrate accounting information systems with on-farm data, despite today’s farmers facing unprecedented and interconnected economic and resource pressures. This study explores this problem in more detail, defines the objectives of the solution and develops a model of integrated accounting and agricultural information systems, drawing on a ‘fads and fashions’ framework and advancing our understanding of bundled innovations. Using data from a participatory case study in Australian potato farming, the study integrates accounting data with soil moisture and climate data to track, alert and inform irrigation decisions. Development of preliminary digital software based on the model demonstrates how cost-informed tracking, alerts and forecasting can be supported by bundling accounting information systems and sensing technology. In doing so, the model extends the fads and fashions framework for agricultural information systems and demonstrates how accounting information can be the key for improved water productivity, profitability and agricultural sustainability.