Digital agriculture can combat coming agricultural concerns---innovation and communication with farmers is key

Digital innovation in agriculture represents a great opportunity to eradicate poverty and hunger and mitigate the effects of climate change [86]. Through digitalization, all parts of the agri-food production chain will be modified since connectivity and the processing of large amounts of information instantly allow for more efficient work, greater economic return, greater environmental benefits, and better working conditions in the field. However, implementing these changes will require governments to increasingly strengthen rural infrastructure and promote the development of rural communities and small rural businesses so that they can adopt and implement innovative solutions [86]. The perspectives of digital agriculture adoption were assessed in research conducted in the United States, which revealed that the perceptions of the derived benefits are heterogeneous and differentiated according to the agricultural culture [87]. In order to better understand farmers’ adoption decisions or lack thereof, it is important to understand their perception of the benefits that technology can provide for them.

Previous studies on digital agriculture [88] emphasize that digital agriculture supports better decision-making based on consistent analyses of agricultural systems, supporting the farmer in the form of digital solutions associated with robotics and artificial intelligence. However, they stress that it is necessary to coordinate more solid user training, especially for young farmers eager to learn and apply modern agricultural technologies and to grant a generational renewal yet to come. They consider the right time for society to advance in modern and sustainable agriculture, becoming capable of presenting all the power of agricultural management based on data to face the challenges posed to food production in the 21st century.

A study conducted in Sao Paulo [89] investigated the adoption of digital agriculture technologies in sugarcane production through a questionnaire sent to all companies that operate in the sugar and alcohol sector in the region. The authors concluded that companies that adopted and used these technologies have proven to reap benefits, such as management improvement, higher productivity, lower costs, minimization of environmental impacts, and improved sugarcane quality. Furthermore, another study [90] investigated the use and adoption by producers and service providers of digital agriculture technologies in different Brazilian agricultural regions and found that the growth of technology adoption was linked to economic gains in agriculture. Financial aspects combined with the difficulty in using software and equipment provided by the lack of technical training by field teams were highlighted as the main factors limiting the expansion in using these technologies in the field [91]. This research indicates that Brazilian farmers use at least one digital technology in their production system, such as mobile apps, digital platforms, software, global satellite positioning systems, remote sensing, and field sensors. Consequently, the percentage decreases as the application’s technological complexity level increases [91].

The use of digital agriculture has the potential to increase the sustainable management of natural resources, making agricultural areas more productive and reducing the negative environmental impact [90]. However, there are challenges to amplify its use, including the lack of access to technology and digital infrastructure in certain regions, limited knowledge and understanding of digital agriculture among farmers and land managers, and high costs associated with implementing and maintaining digital agriculture systems. Other challenges include limited data quality and availability for developing accurate models and algorithms, difficulty in integrating digital agriculture technologies with existing farm management systems and practices, concerns about data privacy and security, and uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of digital agriculture in mitigating climate change and improving sustainability [88,90,91].

Land managers will face several challenges in the future regarding the future climate scenario with technological solutions. Different technologies can be adopted to implement digital agriculture to mitigate climate change, due to which the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, which can lead to crop failure and soil erosion have increased [86]. Temperature and precipitation patterns will change, impacting crop yields and shifting vegetation zones, affecting ecosystem functions. Additionally, land managers must face the spread of invasive species, pests, and diseases, which can negatively impact crop and livestock production, and the overall health of ecosystems. Limited knowledge and understanding of digital agriculture among farmers and land managers can create a gap between the technology and land managers. Furthermore, other challenges include limited data quality and availability for developing accurate models and algorithms and difficulty integrating digital agriculture technologies with existing farm management systems and practices [92].

In order to address these challenges, land managers are exploring a range of technological solutions. Precision agriculture technologies, such as soil sensors, drones, and satellite imagery, must be used to monitor soil and crop conditions and optimize fertilizer and water usage, create a different energy source, such as biogas and biofuels, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and provide alternative energy sources, and finally, utilize climate-smart agriculture practices, such as agroforestry, which integrate trees and crops to enhance ecosystem services and reduce greenhouse gas emissions [90].