Industry 4.0 Versus agriculture. Development perspectives of agriculture in the Republic of Moldova by assimilating digital technologies

Abstract

For the Moldovan economy, the agriculture in current conditions is one of the priority sectors that contribute to the strategic development of the country in such areas as improving food security, increasing the number of territories with agricultural specialization in a difficult socio-economic situation and ensuring a high standard of living for the rural population. Digital technologies contribute to the achievement of these objectives by adapting agriculture to external conditions associated with geopolitical and macroeconomic changes. The underlying problems currently facing the agricultural sector are the unfavourable climatic conditions of recent years, lack of labour, caused by mass migration, but also the need for innovation and a reliable scientific approach to improving production in plants and animal husbandry. This research aims to study the concept of Industry 4.0 in Agriculture trough the existing national and international experience in digital technologies. The authors analyze the state of the Moldovan agro industrial sector to determine the technical, human and financial potential for implementing digital technologies as solutions for streamlining the management of agricultural enterprises to ensure sustainable development of the national economy. Another purpose of the study is to identify promising areas of agricultural development based on digital technologies, and to evaluate the possible effect of their implementation on the production cycle and increasing the quality and competitiveness of domestic farm products.