Will software eat your food? Digital transformation of agriculture

Abstract

The world's rapidly growing population and increasing concern everywhere about food security and environmental sustainability requires - really demands - that agriculture accelerates its digital transformation and develops its smart digital ecosystem (SDE). Those systems are spreading fast in other sectors, whereas agriculture lags greatly behind. The professional introduction of a smart digital ecosystem offers large improvement opportunities in agricultural production, food security, and environmental sustainability. At the same time, fast developing technical solutions and the disruptive nature of technology innovation offer unique entrepreneurial opportunities. This study first defines SDEs and then demonstrates their rapid but uneven spread in the global economy. The author offers a framework for classifying where a particular industry, branch or producing unit may be located in the evolving activity-sector matrix used for describing SDEs. Applying that matrix, he finds that the diffusion of technology innovation in agriculture is slower than expected. Much of the rest of the article demonstrates the large potential gains that the agricultural sector could enjoy by moving faster and better in the SDE area, offering case studies on the methods and experiences of some of the large and small pioneers.