Agroindustry 4.0 for Rural Communities: Opportunity or Challenge?

Abstract

Agriculture has evolved toward greater efficiency in resource use, enabling the production of more food with fewer inputs. However, the transition to Agriculture 4.0 requires connectivity infrastructure that allows the integration of digital technologies for process automation. This need becomes critical in rural areas, where the lack of access to connectivity points significantly limits technological advancement.

This study analyzes the technical, economic, and social barriers that hinder the incorporation of technologies in the Mexican agribusiness sector. It hypothesizes that such adoption is mainly constrained by the lack of technological infrastructure, the high initial investment costs, and the cultural resistance to change among rural stakeholders.

Although there is a direct correlation between technological infrastructure and the adoption of digital solutions, the results show that work organization also plays a decisive role. Policies over the past three decades have weakened farmers’ ability to exercise their productive function autonomously. Despite current limitations, rural actors are not unfamiliar with emerging technologies and continue striving to integrate them into their practices while facing multiple structural challenges.