Integrated design framework for smart agriculture: Bridging the gap between digitalization and sustainability

Abstract

This study delves into the intricate interplay between digitalization and sustainability in agriculture, seeking to uncover how digital technologies can be harnessed to elevate and actualize smart agricultural (SA) practices. The research addresses three pivotal questions: (1) Does digitalization authentically ensure sustainability in agriculture? (2) What are the paramount sustainability requirements for digitalization in agriculture? (3) Can SA systems be viably designed to concurrently fulfill digital and sustainable requisites? Employing a two-stage Quality Function Deployment (QFD) framework with the interval-valued 2-Tuple linguistic (IV-2-TL) model, the methodology offers a nuanced analysis of relationships between sustainability-digitalization and SA. Validation through a Turkey-based case study demonstrates the methodology's effectiveness in identifying digital solutions for sustainability needs and prioritizing SA design requirements. This study contributes significantly in three key ways. Firstly, the IV-2-TL-QFD method provides a valuable decision-making framework to assess digitalization-sustainability-SA interconnections ensuring optimal SA design. Secondly, it identifies vital digitalization requirements for addressing sustainability challenges in the QFD framework. Third, a 10-step roadmap guides the transition to SA, portraying digitalization as instrumental in achieving broader sustainability. This study provides profound insights and tools, bridging the gap between digitalization and sustainable agriculture for a more resilient and environmentally responsible future in food production.