APPLIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

This paper examines the possibility of transitioning towards sustainable food production, considering the accelerated growth of the world population and increased demand for food on one hand, and the consequences that the previous approach has had on the biosphere and sociosphere at a global level on the other hand. The first part of the paper presents alarming and precise data and facts that require an ultimate paradigm shift, this time based on the most powerful technological and scientific methods and practices to date. The second part establishes the relationships between the concepts of Agricultural Social Network (ASN), Agricultural Value Chain (AVC), new digital technologies and approaches, with the need for transition towards Society 5.0, where a balance between economic progress and a society tailored to human needs is established. In the third part, the technologies on which the new concept of “precision agriculture - PA” relies are identified, and a case study of the Agrosens digital platform is provided as a good practice example to support agricultural producers. Finally, the last part demonstrates, through the concrete example of Project Provenance Ltd., how the application of new technologies can connect processes and actors in Supply Chain Management (SCM) to establish transparency, efficiency, traceability, and other performance measures necessary for effective and responsible SCM. This enables the implementation of corrective actions and measures to promote responsible production, distribution, and consumption of food or other widely used products.