Digitalisation, Sustainability and Competitiveness. A Case Study on Austrian Agriculture

The project addresses sustainability, competitiveness and measurement problems associated with digitalisation in the Austrian agricultural sector. Two complementary issues are focused on: first, at the process level, we analyse how digital technologies can be used to simultaneously reduce environmental impact and to achieve higher productivity given the structural conditions in Austria. By working together in an interdisciplinary team, trade-offs between economy and ecology can be quantified based on empirical data. Conclusions will be drawn about the diffusion of these technologies in agriculture. Second, primary data of farms will be collected to assess the intensity of digitalisation of Austrian agriculture more precisely. The effects on competitiveness will be recorded and factors promoting digital investments as well as barriers for digitalisation will be identified.