Enablers to Digitalization in Agriculture: A Case Study from Italian Field Crop Farms in the Po River Valley, with Insights for Policy Targeting

Azzurra Giorgio, Laura Priscila Penate Lopez (), Danilo Bertoni, Daniele Cavicchioli and Giovanni Ferrazzi
Additional contact information
Azzurra Giorgio: Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
Laura Priscila Penate Lopez: Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
Danilo Bertoni: Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
Daniele Cavicchioli: Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy
Giovanni Ferrazzi: Department of Environmental Science and Policy (ESP), University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 2, 20133 Milano, Italy

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: The prosperity of Po River Valley’s quality agri-food system depends on the efficiency of its field crops, which are recently facing a crisis evidenced by cultivated areas decreasing and yields stagnating. Several factors, including EU policies and climate variability, impose an improvement in the use of production factors and adapted business models: literature shows how digitalization and Agriculture 4.0 can contribute to addressing these challenges. This paper aims to explore drivers and barriers in the adoption of digitalization among Po River Valley field crop farms, in a dynamic view. Using a case study approach to guarantee adequate consideration of context and conditions, three farms were studied. As one of the main outcomes, several drivers (digital skills, data management practices, and interoperability) that should be at the heart of policies were identified as demands to farmers in exchange for financial contributions, or as “innovation space” offered by EU institutions. Policies should not only focus on supporting mechanical/digital equipment acquisition but also on promoting the evolution of farmers’ human capital. The framework developed paves the way for future research on the degree of farm digitalization in the same/similar territorial contexts: identified drivers of digital transition can be used as a basis for survey questionnaires, as well as tested in their validity.

Keywords: digitalization; agriculture; policy; Agriculture 4.0; field crops; geographical indication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/7/1074/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/7/1074/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:14:y:2024:i:7:p:1074-:d:1428422

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().