Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context
Enabling technologies (KETs) offer transformative potential for agriculture by addressing major challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, KET adoption is often limited by high R&D requiremen...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2347 |
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| author | Giuseppe Timpanaro Vera Teresa Foti Giulio Cascone Manuela Trovato Alessandro Grasso Gabriella Vindigni |
| author_facet | Giuseppe Timpanaro Vera Teresa Foti Giulio Cascone Manuela Trovato Alessandro Grasso Gabriella Vindigni |
| author_sort | Giuseppe Timpanaro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Enabling technologies (KETs) offer transformative potential for agriculture by addressing major challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, KET adoption is often limited by high R&D requirements, rapid innovation cycles, investment costs, and cultural or training barriers, especially among small agricultural businesses. Sicily’s agricultural sector, already strained by pandemic-related economic setbacks and inflationary pressures, faces additional barriers in adopting these technologies. To investigate these adoption challenges and develop viable solutions, the ARIA Living Lab (Agritech Research Innovation Environment) was established within the PNRR framework. A qualitative approach was used, involving documentary analysis and data from stakeholders across Sicilian agriculture. This approach enabled an in-depth exploration of sector-specific needs, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors influencing KET adoption. The analysis highlighted that adoption barriers differ significantly across sectors (citrus, olive, and wine), with public incentives and digital infrastructure playing key roles. However, a persistent lack of technical skills among farmers reduces the effectiveness of these innovations. The findings suggest that an integrated approach—combining targeted incentives, training, and enhanced infrastructure—is essential for a sustainable transition to KETs. Future research should examine collaborative efforts between farms and tech providers and evaluate the impact of public policies in promoting the widespread, informed adoption of enabling technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b1fa214c634f4d1c98e47b07cdf595ad |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-b1fa214c634f4d1c98e47b07cdf595ad2024-12-27T14:03:27ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722024-12-011412234710.3390/agriculture14122347Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean ContextGiuseppe Timpanaro0Vera Teresa Foti1Giulio Cascone2Manuela Trovato3Alessandro Grasso4Gabriella Vindigni5Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia 100, 95123 Catania, ItalyEnabling technologies (KETs) offer transformative potential for agriculture by addressing major challenges such as climate change, resource efficiency, and sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. However, KET adoption is often limited by high R&D requirements, rapid innovation cycles, investment costs, and cultural or training barriers, especially among small agricultural businesses. Sicily’s agricultural sector, already strained by pandemic-related economic setbacks and inflationary pressures, faces additional barriers in adopting these technologies. To investigate these adoption challenges and develop viable solutions, the ARIA Living Lab (Agritech Research Innovation Environment) was established within the PNRR framework. A qualitative approach was used, involving documentary analysis and data from stakeholders across Sicilian agriculture. This approach enabled an in-depth exploration of sector-specific needs, infrastructure, and socio-economic factors influencing KET adoption. The analysis highlighted that adoption barriers differ significantly across sectors (citrus, olive, and wine), with public incentives and digital infrastructure playing key roles. However, a persistent lack of technical skills among farmers reduces the effectiveness of these innovations. The findings suggest that an integrated approach—combining targeted incentives, training, and enhanced infrastructure—is essential for a sustainable transition to KETs. Future research should examine collaborative efforts between farms and tech providers and evaluate the impact of public policies in promoting the widespread, informed adoption of enabling technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2347KETsopen innovationsparticipatory innovationagriculturecause and effect analysisbarriers to adoption innovations |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe Timpanaro Vera Teresa Foti Giulio Cascone Manuela Trovato Alessandro Grasso Gabriella Vindigni Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context Agriculture KETs open innovations participatory innovation agriculture cause and effect analysis barriers to adoption innovations |
| title | Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context |
| title_full | Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context |
| title_fullStr | Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context |
| title_short | Living Lab for the Diffusion of Enabling Technologies in Agriculture: The Case of Sicily in the Mediterranean Context |
| title_sort | living lab for the diffusion of enabling technologies in agriculture the case of sicily in the mediterranean context |
| topic | KETs open innovations participatory innovation agriculture cause and effect analysis barriers to adoption innovations |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/14/12/2347 |
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