Abstract
Resource efficiency in the agri-food sector is a global urgent issue considering the urbanisation phenomena, the increased nutritional needs, and the emergence of diversified dietary norms. Despite the ongoing progress in digital technologies that could enable resource-efficient operations in the sector, their effectiveness—even in developed countries—remains debateable mainly due to the limited understanding that further impedes their adoption by farmers. Among others, ease of access, training, and engagement with digital technologies appears to be challenging for most stakeholders, especially during the production (farming) stage. Specifically, in developing countries, that often encounter major natural resources challenges, the diverse socio-cultural background of the farmers hinders the adoption of digital technologies to perform highly automated and efficient agricultural operations for ensuring sustainability output. In this regard, we explore publicly available data sources (i.e., institutional reports, databases) to identify key challenges in adopting digital technologies for efficient resource use from a systems-level perspective. Thereafter, we map the determinant factors using the System Dynamics methodology in order to identify areas of interventions to limit natural resources’ appropriation and support agri-food sustainability.
Highlights
The way agriculture influences food security and humanity poses a very complicated issue
The latest report from the World Bank [2] outlines the key gains from the application of advancements in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in the agri-food system
We identify targeted digital technology-driven interventions and recognise their causal effect in an end-to-end agri-food supply chain system, which could promote sustainable performance
Summary
The way agriculture influences food security and humanity poses a very complicated issue. Today’s societies request the global agri-food system to use fewer resources and be more environmentally-friendly [1]. Digital technologies significantly influence all segments of the economy including the agri-food sector. The latest report from the World Bank [2] outlines the key gains from the application of advancements in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in the agri-food system. Smartphones and the Internet assist in overcoming information obstacles that limit market entrance for small producers and expand current knowledge supplying extension services that advance food supply chain management. The key cause is that technology can only address some, but not all, of the barriers encountered by food supply chain stakeholders in developing countries [3]
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