Introduction

Modern agriculture provides us with an abundance of cheap and high-quality food but it also has a large negative impact on the environment. It is clear that agriculture must become more sustainable, even more so in the face of climate change. Precision agriculture is one of the pathways to a more sustainable agriculture. A precision agriculture application consists of three parts: data, models, and actuators. First, data are collected about crops, soils, and livestock. Then models are used to transform data into agronomic advice. Finally, recommendations lead to actuation in the field. All three elements must be implemented properly: a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Access to data is a major obstacle for the application of model-based technologies in precision agriculture. Models are available but a critical and improved understanding of what we need and can obtain from the model is in many cases still needed. Actuation is not the biggest bottleneck. Overall, there is a need for better connections between researchers, extension workers, farmers, and advisors to leverage the benefits of data and modelling.