ABSTRACT
In recent years, the Industry 4.0 concept has gained considerable attention from professionals, researchers and decision makers. For its part, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of managing the agri-food supply chain to ensure the food that the population needs. Industry 4.0 and its extensions can address the needs of the agri-food supply chain by bringing new features such as security, transparency and traceability in line with sustainable development goals. This study aims to systematically analyze the literature to address the challenges and barriers against the application of industry 4.0 and its related technologies in the management of an agri-food supply chain. Currently, despite the large number of publications, there is no clear agreement on what Industry 4.0 is, and even less its extensions. The next revolution that includes new technologies and improves several existing technologies brings additional conceptual and practical complexity. Consequently, in this work we first determine the main components of I 4.0 and their extensions by studying the literature, and then, in the second step, define the agri-food supply chain on which I 4.0 technologies are applied. Two well-known databases-Web of Science and Scopus-were chosen to extract data for the systematic review of the literature. For the final evaluation, we identified 24 of 100 reviewed publications. The results provide an exhaustive analysis of the different I 4.0 technologies and their extensions that are applied in regards to the agri-food supply chain. In addition, we find 15 challenges that are classified into five major themes in the agri-food supply chain: technical, operational, financial, social and infrastructure. The four most important challenges identified are technological architecture, security and privacy, big data management and IoT (internet)-based infrastructure. Only a few articles addressed sustainability, which reaffirms and demonstrates a considerable gap in terms of the sustainable agri-food supply chain, with waste management being the one that has attracted the most attention. This review provides a roadmap for academics and practitioners alike, showing the gaps and facilitating the identification of I 4.0 technologies that can help address the challenges facing the efficient management of an agri-food supply chain.
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This article brings together phenomena not often connected in the rural studies cannon to show an underlying relationality connecting digital agriculture, conceptions of the good life and pursuits of happiness. Drawing from the scholarship of Sara Ahmed and Lauren Berlant, Agriculture 4.0 technologies are described as ‘cruel' happiness pointers. These platforms are shown to direct actors towards happiness while potentially accelerating the very conditions that produced the problems they are promising to solve. Highlighting conceptions of the good life that are fluid, contested and multiple, which have connections to sayings and doings associated with these platforms, the analysis makes visible norms and values animating the so‐called digital revolution. At the same time, the article interrogates what these changing affective politics means for the future of farming and farm‐based identities, at least in Western countries. The data analysed, from individuals who had adopted smart farming applications in the US, were collected from focus groups and personal interviews, the latter conducted pre (2019) and post coronavirus (COVID‐19) outbreak (2020 and 2021).
ABSTRACT
PurposeThis study aims to analyse how the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies can help different types of agri-food supply chains introduce and manage innovations in response to the challenges and opportunities that emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review methodology was used to bring together the most relevant contributions from different disciplines and provide comprehensive results on the use of I4.0 technologies in the agri-food industry.FindingsFour technological clusters are identified, which group together the I4.0 technologies based on the applications in the agri-food industry, the objectives and the advantages provided. In addition, three types of agri-food supply chains have been identified and their configuration and dynamics have been studied. Finally, the I4.0 technologies most suited for each type of supply chain have been identified, and suggestions on how to effectively introduce and manage innovations at different levels of the supply chain are provided.Originality/valueThe study highlights how the effective adoption of I4.0 technologies in the agri-food industry depends on the characteristics of the supply chains. Technologies can be used for different purposes and managers should carefully consider the objectives to be achieved and the synergies between technologies and supply chain dynamics.
ABSTRACT
This article brings together phenomena not often connected in the rural studies cannon to show an underlying relationality connecting digital agriculture, conceptions of the good life and pursuits of happiness. Drawing from the scholarship of Sara Ahmed and Lauren Berlant, Agriculture 4.0 technologies are described as 'cruel' happiness pointers. These platforms are shown to direct actors towards happiness while potentially accelerating the very conditions that produced the problems they are promising to solve. Highlighting conceptions of the good life that are fluid, contested and multiple, which have connections to sayings and doings associated with these platforms, the analysis makes visible norms and values animating the so-called digital revolution. At the same time, the article interrogates what these changing affective politics means for the future of farming and farm-based identities, at least in Western countries. The data analysed, from individuals who had adopted smart farming applications in the US, were collected from focus groups and personal interviews, the latter conducted pre (2019) and post coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak (2020 and 2021).
ABSTRACT
CONTEXT The agri-food system is undergoing pervasive changes in business models, facilitated by the use of digital technologies. Although today it is almost inevitable for any business to adopt some level of digital transformation to strengthen their competitiveness, this transition in the agri-food sector could be more complex, given its characteristics. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study is to analyse worldwide the perceptions of new digital technologies in the agri-food sector expressed within social media platforms, identifying the differences that may exist between them regarding its objectives and social acceptance. METHODS This paper examines the information regarding digital transformation process in the agri-food sector disseminated worldwide on Twitter. For that purpose, Twitter API is used to gather tweets and descriptive and content analyses, including a sentiment analysis, are performed using R and MAXQDA software. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS We found that the digitalization of the agri-food sector is broadly discussed within Twitter. Different actors participate in these information flows, being companies and digital solution providers the most active users and academics and governmental institutions the most visible. Artificial Intelligence was the most mentioned technology, that together with the Internet of Things, Big Data, Machine Learning, and Cloud Computing, was related to improving production efficiencies, crop yield, or cost reduction. In the case of Blockchain Technology, it was closer to food supply chain actors, such as distribution companies and marketers. However, all these technologies are connected to the concept of sustainability. The sentiment analysis showed a generally positive tone, indicating social acceptance regarding the starting phase of the adoption of these technologies. The study also identified differences among countries, pointing to a stronger level of engagement with these technologies in developed regions. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic was seen as a chance to boost the digital transformation in the sector all over the world. SIGNIFICANCE Our results demonstrate that data harvested from Twitter provide useful insight into perceptions of digital transformation and different digital technologies in the agri-food value chain across different countries. Information that could be useful for researchers, but also for agricultural firms and policymakers.
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Purpose>This paper analyses the impact of digitalization in the marketing of geographic indication (GI) products. Specifically, the objective is to provide a systemic and comprehensive view of marketing issues and challenges arising from evolving digitalization in the agriculture sector.Design/methodology/approach>The authors employed an explorative cognitive mapping technique on a sample of key informants among Italian companies and a consortium of registered food, spirits and wine products.Findings>This study describes the key concepts dominant in the discourse of informants concerning digitalization and its influence on the GI market. Three clusters and two loops were also identified to explain the relationship among key concepts, which stress changes regarding the relationship with the consumer, product experience and innovation, and the integration between physical and virtual space.Research limitations/implications>This is the first attempt to apply cognitive maps to GIs. However, the study does have limitations: it was conducted on a small number of producers and was restricted to only Italy. Another limitation is that interviews were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implications>The results suggest important practical implications that stress the need for learning and increased digital competences for the efficient embedding of digital technologies in all business areas, increase product value and innovation, and the need for governance in support of digital transformation.Originality/value>This work creates the new and valuable literature on food marketing and, specifically, on a changing market environment resulting from digitalization, by providing a holistic overview of digitalization in reference to the marketing of GIs.
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This research aims to analyse the applications of IoT in agriculture and to compare the most widely used IoT platforms. The problem of determining the most appropriate IoT system depends on many factors, often expressed by incomplete and uncertain estimates. In order to find a feasible decision, this study develops a multi-criteria framework for IoT solution selection in a fuzzy environment. In the proposed framework, a new modification of the Multi-Attribute Border approximation Area Comparison (MABAC) method with a specific distance measure via intuitionistic fuzzy values has been presented as a decision analysis method. The new technique is more precise than existing crisp and fuzzy analogues, as it includes the three components of intuitionistic numbers (degree of membership, degree of non-membership and hesitancy degree) and the relationships between them. The effectiveness of the new decision-making framework has been verified through an illustrative example of ranking IoT platforms.
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In recent times, the importance of green entrepreneurship in the socio-economic development, environmental management, and prosperity of underprivileged societies has widely been acknowledged by both academics and policymakers alike. Despite this importance, there is a lack of research on what the external and internal factors that support and foster the growth of green agricultural ventures are. This research aims to propose a framework suggesting factors that play a significant role in flourishment of green enterprises, with a focus on developing countries. Through an extensive review and in-depth analysis of the existing literature in the fields of green entrepreneurship and agriculture, we propose a conceptual framework highlighting the internal and external factors that, when strategically aligned, foster the growth of green agricultural enterprises.