A New Green Revolution (GR) or Neoliberal Entrenchment in Agri-food Systems? Exploring Narratives Around Digital Agriculture (DA), Food Systems, and Development in Sub-Sahara Africa

Abdulai, Abdul‐Rahim

doi:10.1080/00220388.2022.2032673

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Dai et al (2022) also argued that with the development of a digital economy in China, its ability to promote green innovation would be stronger. In addition, some researchers worldwide examined digital technologies (Morello et al, 2016;Lu et al, 2021;Sharma et al, 2021;Firoiu et al, 2022;Khan et al, 2022; and digitization (Martin et al, 2018;Umar et al, 2021;Abdulai, 2022;Ma and Zhu, 2022) to indirectly prove a positive link between the digital economy and green innovation (Table 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the digital economy promote green technology innovation by manufacturing enterprises? Evidence from China

Ning

Yin

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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With the rapid development of the digital economy and the increasingly severe environmental issues, the role of the digital economy in green innovation has been attracting more attention; however, only a limited amount of research has been done in this area. Therefore, based on matching data at the city and manufacturing enterprise level in China during 2011–2018, this paper attempted to integrate the digital economy (more specifically, the Internet and digital finance) with resource allocation and green technology innovation together in a unified scheme. Our study confirmed that the digital economy could significantly promote green technology innovation by manufacturing enterprises, but that digital finance was the dominant feature. Resource allocation efficiency played a partial mediating role between digital economy and green technology innovation. Furthermore, considering the heterogeneity in enterprise ownership and industrial pollution, the digital economy had a more positive effect on green technology innovation in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and high pollution industries. As for the heterogeneity of region, the Internet significantly contributed to green technology innovation in regions with different levels of development. In the eastern region of China, especially, the influence of digital finance on green technology innovation was more significant. In view of these findings, this study provides important insights for strengthening the integration of the digital economy with green transformation, emphasizing the rationality of resource allocation, and formulating policies for different enterprises.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How does the digital economy promote green technology innovation by manufacturing enterprises? Evidence from China

Ning

Yin

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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“…Finally, the changing practices toward digitalization would require alignment and embedding of emerging meanings and values of farming into smallholder systems. It is established in the literature that digitalization initiatives strive to change the face and outlook of farming as presented through transformations and game-changer claims (Tsan et al, 2019;Abdulai, 2022). And as earlier explained in the results, respondents were explicit about aligning digital farming understandings to specific values in the local context(s) and correcting potential common misconceptions that people may hold about digital services and tools in agriculture.…”

Section: Discussion: the Emergence And Stabilization Of Agriculture D...mentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Also, my proposal must not be misconstrued as propagation of primacy of technological innovations evident in current food regimes (Anderson et al, 2019) nor a presentation of digitalization as an uncontestable transformative solution to smallholder issues. Further scholarly inputs from diverse theoretical and analytical approaches, including responsible innovations (Klerkx and Rose, 2020;Fielke et al, 2022;Jakku et al, 2022) and the political economy of digitalization (Carolan, 2020;Duncan et al, 2021;Abdulai, 2022) is critical to ensuring the phenomenon does not reinforce existing inequalities. Digital transformations cannot happen without careful analysis of the political and economic implications of the phenomenon, including for rural communities and smallholders (Carolan, 2017;Rotz et al, 2019;Abdulai, 2022).…”

Section: Concluding Reflectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further scholarly inputs from diverse theoretical and analytical approaches, including responsible innovations (Klerkx and Rose, 2020;Fielke et al, 2022;Jakku et al, 2022) and the political economy of digitalization (Carolan, 2020;Duncan et al, 2021;Abdulai, 2022) is critical to ensuring the phenomenon does not reinforce existing inequalities. Digital transformations cannot happen without careful analysis of the political and economic implications of the phenomenon, including for rural communities and smallholders (Carolan, 2017;Rotz et al, 2019;Abdulai, 2022). The high cost of services, low digital literacies, and poor rural infrastructure, among other challenges (including lack of readiness due to low limited capacities- McCampbell et al, 2021) noted to undermine smallholders' engagement, and participation with digital services need further explorations (Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations the International Telecommunication Union, 2022).…”

Section: Concluding Reflectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toward digitalization futures in smallholder farming systems in Sub-Sahara Africa: A social practice proposal

Abdulai

2022

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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This paper contributes to the digitalization of rural agriculture literature by proposing a social practice approach. Digitalization (practices) is conceived as an unfolding constellation of everyday farming activities manifested by practically conscious people meaningfully leveraging competences to integrate materials elements of life. Thirty-one expert key informants' interviews were conducted on experiences and pathways for the future of digital agriculture in Africa. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed that materials (access to digital tools, enabling digital infrastructure, supporting social infrastructure), competencies (digital literacy among farmers and extension officers, IT and data education among populaces), and meanings (connecting digitization with local customs and norms and aligning digital tools with the values/perceptions of what farming is) are critical elements to establishing and embedding digital tools and services in everyday agriculture in Africa. Thus, I propose adopting a social practice approach (which focus on establishing and integrating materials, competencies, and meanings) to understanding, researching, and guiding processes of rural smallholder digitalization. The proposed approach, the first application of the social practice lens to smallholder digitalization, would allow for interventions that focus on establishing holistic and all-encompassing building blocks that bring digitalization practices to life. Specifically, the social practice proposal provides an outlook to move beyond the technologies –tools and services– of digitalization, to equally value the competencies required and meanings engendered in smallholder digital futures.

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“…It is very urgent to realize the maximization of income, integration and efficient development under the control of partial conditions. DGI will become the core feature of future agricultural development, which can comprehensively promote the construction and development of digital green agriculture (Abdulai, 2022). Promoting its modernization is not only important support for improving China's agricultural production level but also a prerequisite for increasing China's economic production income.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a Conceptual Partner Matching Framework for Digital Green Innovation of Agricultural High-End Equipment Manufacturing System Toward Agriculture 5.0: A Novel Niche Field Model Combined With Fuzzy VIKOR

Yin

Wang

2022

Front. Psychol.

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Digital green innovation (DGI) is the core factor that affects the digitalization and decarbonization strategy of agricultural high-end equipment manufacturing (AHEM) system. Although AHEM enterprises actively cooperate with academic research institutes to develop agricultural high-end equipment, there are many obstacles in the process of DGI. Moreover, the integration of digital technology and green innovation from the perspective of partner matching for the AHEM system has not been fully introduced in current literature. Hence, this study aimed to (i) establish a suitable framework system for the AHEM system in general, (ii) quantify the selection of DGI by academic research institutions based on niche theory, and (iii) propose an extended niche field model combined with fuzzy VIKOR model. First, a theoretical framework consisting of three core elements of technology superposition, mutual benefit, and mutual trust, and technological complementarity was constructed based on niche intensity and niche overlap degree. DGI ability superposition of technology, mutual trust, and technical complementarity are beneficial for transferring DGI knowledge from academic research institutes to the AHEM industry. Second, triangle fuzzy number and prospect theory combined with the VIKOR method were introduced into the field theory to construct the complementary field model of DGI resources. The niche field model has been successfully applied to practical cases to illustrate how the model can be implemented to solve the problem of DGI partner selection. Third, the results of a case study show that the criteria framework and the niche field model can be applied to real-world partner selection for AHEM enterprises. This study not only puts forward the standard framework of niche fitness evaluation based on niche theory but also establishes the niche domain model of innovation partner selection management based on niche theory. The standard framework and novel niche field model can help enterprises to carry out digital green innovation in the development of high-end agricultural equipment. The study has the following theoretical and practical implications: (i) constructing a criteria framework based on niche theory; (ii) developing a novel niche field model for DGI partner selection of AHEM enterprises; and (iii) assisting AHEM enterprises to perform DGI practice.

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A New Green Revolution (GR) or Neoliberal Entrenchment in Agri-food Systems? Exploring Narratives Around Digital Agriculture (DA), Food Systems, and Development in Sub-Sahara Africa

Cited by 18 publications

References 48 publications

How does the digital economy promote green technology innovation by manufacturing enterprises? Evidence from China

How does the digital economy promote green technology innovation by manufacturing enterprises? Evidence from China

Toward digitalization futures in smallholder farming systems in Sub-Sahara Africa: A social practice proposal

Developing a Conceptual Partner Matching Framework for Digital Green Innovation of Agricultural High-End Equipment Manufacturing System Toward Agriculture 5.0: A Novel Niche Field Model Combined With Fuzzy VIKOR

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