  Agriculture provides economic opportunity through innovation; helps rural
America to thrive; promotes agricultural production that better nourishes
Americans; and aims to preserve natural resources through healthy private
working lands, conservation, improved watersheds, and restored forests. From
agricultural production to food supply, agriculture supports rural and urban
economies across the U.S. It accounts for 10% of U.S. jobs and is currently
creating new jobs in the growing field of data-driven farming. However, U.S.
global competitiveness associated with food and nutrition security is at risk
because of accelerated investments by many other countries in agriculture,
food, energy, and resource management. To ensure U.S. global competitiveness
and long-term food security, it is imperative that we build sustainable
physical and cyber infrastructures to enable self-managing and sustainable
farming. Such infrastructures should enable next generation precision-farms by
harnessing modern and emerging technologies such as small satellites, broadband
Internet, tele-operation, augmented reality, advanced data analytics, sensors,
and robotics.
