Navigating Digital Transformation in Agriculture: Adoption Dynamics, Innovation transition, and Readiness Assessment

This thesis investigates the complexities and dynamics of digital transformation in agriculture, emphasizing digitalization in livestock farming, transitions from traditional to smart irrigation technologies, and assessments of readiness for technology adoption. Empirical analyses evaluate the integration of digital technologies across various livestock production systems in Italy, revealing significant differences in adoption rates within large ruminant, small ruminant, and monogastric animal farming systems and identifying the factors influencing technology uptake. Methodologically, the thesis advances socio-technical modelling by developing and validating a toolkit designed for interdisciplinary assessment of digital impacts within agricultural contexts. Using this approach, the research highlights the essential integration of technical and social dimensions for effective technology adoption and transition. Employing the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), the study explores innovation transition dynamics at the farm level, particularly examining smart irrigation technologies utilizing soil moisture-based wireless sensor networks. It illustrates how niche innovations (emerging technologies) interact with established socio-technical regimes (existing structures and institutions) and broader landscape pressures, providing insights into adaptive processes required for transformative change. Additionally, socio-technical modelling identifies critical areas of readiness essential for widespread adoption of digital technologies, exemplified through the practical case of a Farm Management Information System (FMIS) for sheep farming. This analysis underscores strategic readiness areas and emphasizes targeted interventions necessary to support effective digital transformation. Overall, this thesis significantly contributes to the discourse on digital agriculture by demonstrating that successful transformation demands context-specific, inclusive, and integrated socio-technical approaches. It provides a nuanced understanding of the interplay among technological innovation, socio-economic dynamics, and institutional arrangements, offering actionable insights to facilitate the sustained adoption of digital agriculture.