A pending task for the digitalisation of agriculture: A general framework for technologies classification in agriculture

• Published in: Agricultural systems 2024-01, Vol.213, p.103794, Article 103794
• Main Authors: Moreno, José C., Berenguel, Manuel, Donaire, Julián G., Rodríguez, Francisco, Sánchez-Molina, Jorge A., Guzmán, José Luis, Giagnocavo, Cynthia L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural technology navigator; Classification; Competence Centres; SmartAgriHubs; Technologies
• ISSN: 0308-521X; 1873-2267
• DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103794

This research paper details the response to a central challenge of the digitalization of agricultural systems which stems from information overload and the broad heterogeneity of agricultural technologies and the classification thereof. It is the result of four years of effort on the Horizon 2020 SmartAgriHubs (SAH) project, whose purpose was the development and connection of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) and Competence Centres (CCs) related to the agricultural sector in Europe. CCs form the backbone of DIHs and provide the digital technological infrastructure by offering advanced technical expertise, access to the latest knowledge and information on digital technologies, and other technological and scientific infrastructure. However, the lack of a general framework for technology classification in agriculture needed to be remedied, not only to specifically advance the general aim of SmartAgriHubs and DIHs to “connect the dots”, but in general, so as to facilitate a broad range of actors involved in digitalisation of agriculture. This paper sets out the conceptual framework for the classification of technologies in the agricultural sector, and the development of the “Agricultural Technology Navigator” (ATN) as an iterative tool for gathering and searching for information to support such classification, so that actors involved in the digitalization of agriculture may more easily find and communicate technologies related to digital solutions. A multi-actor, multi-disciplinary expert group was formed to identify technologies and define keywords. A literature, patent, foresights studies, and grey literature review was also carried out. Text mining techniques, using the JCR “Tool for Innovation Monitoring”, were used based on keywords selected by experts for documents analysis (+170,000,000 publications; + 22,000,000 patent applications; + 77,000 projects). Gaps in previous studies were identified to form the basis upon which to create a new classification system. Taking into account the fact that technologies are continually developing and evolving, an iterative approach was also necessary. To this end, a new tool was developed, compatible with agricultural supply chains, to gather “bottom up” information from CCs (and other actors) on innovative digital technologies and solutions. The main results of all the publications, patents and projects summarized herein, provide a scientifically sound foundation for a much-needed classification of digital technologies