An Empirical Investigation of the Influence of Industry 4.0 Technology Capabilities on Agriculture Supply Chain Integration and Sustainable Performance

Abstract

Agriculture and allied activities hold a key to sustaining all human activities and ensuring a food-secured future. However, significant issues such as the ever-growing population and cut-throat competition for resources pose a continuous threat to the agricultural supply chains, thereby compromising sustainable agricultural development. To overcome the ever-escalating complex challenges in agricultural supply chains and production systems, advancements in precision agriculture, smart farming, and effective supply chain collaboration are critical for addressing agricultural sustainability challenges. This research study examines the direct effects of industry 4.0 technology capabilities (I4TC) and supply chain integration (SCI) on sustainable agricultural supply chain performance (SASCP). The study investigates the direct and indirect impact of I4TC on SASCP with SCI as the mediating variable; moreover, it seeks to validate the direct influence of I4TC on SCI and SASCP. Based on the data collected from 262 food processing organizations in India, the findings highlight noteworthy impacts of I4TC on SASCP and verify the presence of SCI as a partially mediating variable. Furthermore, the findings extend the body of knowledge on I4TC by recognizing I4TC as an enabler of SCI, thereby leading to enhanced SASCP. From the practitioner's perspective, the current study can help food-processing organizations better understand the importance of SCI in ASCs and provide valuable insights for managing ASCs to achieve SASCP.