Willingness to adopt and disseminate projects related to the “twin transition” on an area. The farmer’s perspective

The concept of enterprise 4.0 represents an extension of the initial industry 4.0, linked to the evolution of the industrial context towards a highly innovative and digital scenario. The use of technology contributes, through various levers, to the agro-ecological and digital transition: by improving farming efficiency (higher yield for the same environmental impact), by precision farming (adapting the different operations to the needs of vegetation or animals) and through the introduction of specialized machinery capable of helping the farmer to “close the cycle” (e.g., recycling of organic effluents) or to take advantage of biodiversity (i.e., with agro-equipment adapted to mixed crops). This research addresses these issues and aimed to understand the ability of farms to implement projects linked to the “twin transition” for improving competitiveness and capture high-value jobs in a local area. To this end 23 farmers were involved in a semi-structured interview to assess their ability to implement projects linked to green and digital transformation. The results highlight the difficulty both for farmers to welcome this innovative drive and for the local area (the north-eastern area of Sicily) to develop new skills and invest in the training of future generations to strengthen competitiveness.