New digital technologies have brought new business opportunities and job creation for the agricultural and agri-food sectors in various global contexts and specifically in Europe and South America. On the other hand, the new scenarios created by climate change bring new challenges that require new approaches and paradigm shifts in food production. In these conjunctures, smart approaches implemented in an integrated way have been recognized by international organizations and the scientific community as a hope for sustainable food production (Martinho & Guiné, 2021).
The increase in world population has put pressure on agri-food markets on the demand side, without there being, in some cases, a corresponding response on the supply side, creating problematic situations, particularly in terms of food self-sufficiency (Guiné et al., 2021). The imbalances of the agricultural markets are among the main particularities of the farming sector which makes the policies in this sector so famous and needed. The other specific characteristics are those associated with structural dimensions.
In these contexts, it seems pertinent to develop this project around these themes and with the following objectives:
Conduct a survey of the reality of Agriculture 4.0, specifically in the European and South American contexts, based on available information;
To characterize the agricultural context, namely in Europe and South America, in order to identify the conditions for the implementation of new digital technologies in agricultural holdings;
Identify opportunities and potentialities for business and job creation with the new digital technologies, namely in terms of consulting, big data management and implementation of IoT approaches;
Define new policy measures for an efficient and effective digital transition, specifically in European and South American agricultures;
Identify strategic sectors and infrastructures as demonstration poles of the importance of digital technologies for a more efficient and sustainable agriculture;
Propose the creation of digital platforms for a better adaptation of the sector to the new demands of online markets.
Referências bibliográficas
Guiné, R. de P. F., Pato, M. L. de J., Costa, C. A. da, Costa, D. de V. T. A. da, Silva, P. B. C. da, & Martinho, V. J. P. D. (2021). Food Security and Sustainability: Discussing the Four Pillars to Encompass Other Dimensions. Foods, 10(11), 2732. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10112732
Martinho, V. J. P. D., & Guiné, R. de P. F. (2021). Integrated-Smart Agriculture: Contexts and Assumptions for a Broader Concept. Agronomy, 11(8), 1568. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081568