Contribution of the Technological Development to the Sustainability in Agriculture

Takácsné György, Katalin

Keywords: technological development, digitalization, precision technologies, environmental sustainability, Q01, Q2

The basis of this study was presented at a conference organized by the Editorial Board of the scientific journal Gazdálkodás, the Circle of Friends of Gazdálkodás and the Faculty of Economics of the University of Debrecen on May 13, 2022, in Debrecen under the title Challenges arising from the EU’s Climate and Environmental Protection Goals and their Effects on the Hungarian Agricultural Economy (European Green deal).
Food security and food safety pose several challenges to agricultural production, which, in addition to technological progress, require the ability and readiness to adapt. The role of the human factor goes far beyond technological knowledge, and consumer habits, social values and their changes, social innovations must also serve sustainability. In the course of agricultural production, the correct application of technologies based on the knowledge of a given system and the development of an appropriate producer strategy are indispensable conditions for sustainable operation at the farm level, but development is inconceivable nowadays without agricultural digitization and adaptation of the solutions of climate-oriented smart agriculture. The local economy is the basis for the development of liveable local communities (social sustainability), which must go hand in hand with sustainable development in the wider environment.
The study explores the above theoretical context based on literature, with an emphasis on Agriculture 4.0, climate-oriented smart agriculture (CSA) issues along the lines of agricultural digitization. Based on the synthesis of the literature, the most important finding is that a paradigm shift is needed compared to the previous growth-oriented and consumption-promoting thinking in all areas of life. The direction of innovation, both socially and economically, must be in the direction of rational use of limited resources and logicality.