Systematic Review of Integrating Technology for Sustainable Agricultural Transitions: Ecuador, a Country with Agroecological Potential

William Viera-Arroyo (), Liliane Binego, Francis Ryans, Duther López, Martín Moya, Lya Vera and Carlos Caicedo
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William Viera-Arroyo: Dirección de Investigaciones, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), Av. Eloy Alfaro N30-350 y Amazonas, Quito 170518, Ecuador
Liliane Binego: Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), Coventry University, Wolston Lane, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3LG, UK
Francis Ryans: Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR), Coventry University, Wolston Lane, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3LG, UK
Duther López: Dirección de Investigaciones, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), Av. Eloy Alfaro N30-350 y Amazonas, Quito 170518, Ecuador
Martín Moya: Dirección de Investigaciones, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), Av. Eloy Alfaro N30-350 y Amazonas, Quito 170518, Ecuador
Lya Vera: Dirección de Investigaciones, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), Av. Eloy Alfaro N30-350 y Amazonas, Quito 170518, Ecuador
Carlos Caicedo: Dirección de Investigaciones, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP), Av. Eloy Alfaro N30-350 y Amazonas, Quito 170518, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-25

Abstract: Agroecology has traditionally been implemented using conventional methods. However, the integration of precision equipment, advanced methodologies, and digital technologies (DT) is now essential for transitioning to a more modern and efficient approach. While agroecological principles remain fundamental for planning and managing sustainable food systems by optimizing natural resources, technological tools can significantly support their implementation and adoption by farmers. This transition, however, must also consider socioeconomic factors and policy frameworks to ensure that technological advancements lead to meaningful improvements in farms and agroecosystems. Across both industrialized and emerging economies, various initiatives, such as precision agriculture, digital platforms, and e-commerce, are driving the digitalization of agroecology. These innovations offer clear benefits, including enhanced knowledge generation and direct improvements to the food supply chain; however, several barriers remain, including limited understanding of digital tools, high-energy demands, insufficient financial resources, economical constrains, weak policy support, lack of infrastructure, low digital learning by framers, etc. to facilitate the transition. This review looks for the understanding of how digitalization can align or conflict with local agroecological dynamics across distinct political frameworks and reality contexts because the information about DT adoption in agroecological practices is limited and it remains unclear if digital agriculture for scaling agroecology can considerably change power dynamics within the productive systems in regions of Europe and Latin America. In South America, among countries like Ecuador, with strong potential for agroecological development, where 60% of farms are less than 1 ha, and where farmers have expressed interest in agroecological practices, 80% have reported lacking sufficient information to make the transition to digitalization, making slow the adoption progress of these DT. While agroecology is gaining global recognition, its modernization through DT requires further research in technical, social, economic, cultural, and political dimensions to more guide the adoption of DT in agroecology with more certainty.

Keywords: agroecological principles; digitalization; Ecuador; precision agriculture; policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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