Digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas: A socio-cyber-physical system framework to support responsibilisation

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.05.003
• Publication Date: 2021-05-21T19:17:33Z
• Authors: Kelly Rijswijk; Laurens Klerkx; Manlio Bacco; Fabio Bartolini; Ellen Bulten; Lies Debruyne; Joost Dessein; Ivano Scotti; Gianluca Brunori
• Keywords: Agriculture and Food Sciences; Agriculture 4.0; Digital agriculture; Digital divide; Digital transformation; Farm to fork; Food systems; Green Deal; Responsible research and innovation; BIG DATA; ADOPTION; 0507 social and economic geography; 0; Farm to Fork; 12. Responsible consumption; Digital transformation; Responsible research and innovation; PRECISION AGRICULTURE; SUSTAINABILITY; ROBOTIC MILKING; DESIGN; INNOVATION PLATFORMS; Digitalisation, socio-cyber-physical systems, responsible research and innovation, precision agriculture, socio-economic impact,; Digital agriculture; 11. Sustainability; Digital agriculture Digital divide; Agriculture 4.0; 2. Zero hunger; 9. Industry and infrastructure; Green Deal; 05 social sciences; 1. No poverty; AUTOMATIC MILKING SYSTEMS; GOVERNANCE; Agriculture 4; Food systems; Green deal; 13. Climate action; Digital divide; TECHNOLOGIES; Farm to fork

Digital technologies are often seen as an opportunity to enable sustainable futures in agriculture and rural areas. However, this digital transformation process is not inherently good as it impacts on many aspects (e.g. economic, environmental, social, technological, institutional) and their relations. The Responsible Research and Innovation approach calls for a better understanding and anticipation of the often unknown impacts. To meet this aim we have developed a framework that allows to gain insight on the relations between the social, the cyber and the physical, i.e. a Socio-Cyber-Physical System and have described conditions for a successful digital transformation of such a system. These are design of, and creating access to digital technologies, and navigating system complexity. This framework allows for a better problematisation of digital transformation and has been illustrated through an example of digital dairy farming. It supports an enhanced understanding of moral responsibilities regarding digital transformation, fitting within the Responsible Research and Innovation approach, as well as the succinct step of understanding who is responsible or accountable for the identified (positive or negative) impacts, i.e. responsibilisation.