Digital technology adoption for plant protection: Assembling the environmental, labour, economic and social pieces of the puzzle

Abstract

The prototype of a hoeing and spot spraying device was used to evaluate the impacts of digital technologies in vegetable production on labour, economic and social issues. These impacts were analysed in a case study conducted on a farm in Switzerland. Working-time requirements were modelled on the basis of time studies conducted during field trials. The results were used in a cost analysis and a comparison with a conventional plant-protection strategy. Furthermore, an in-depth interview with the farm manager revealed the personal, intellectual and social characteristics of successful technology adopters and the impact of applying a new technology to the working process. While one might expect digital technologies to substitute labour with capital, the prototype, in its current form, requires both higher investments and a higher input of labour per hectare. This study shows that the success of new technologies relies on enthusiastic farm managers in addition to public and consumer support, which can be gained by promoting the reduced amount of pesticides applied by these digital technologies.