New business models for a co-evolution of agroecological and circular digital trajectories.

• Title of the project: "New business models for a co-evolution of agroecological and circular digital trajectories"; INRAE.
  • PhD student: Laura Eline Slot.
  • Affiliated unit: INRAE UMR 1110 - MoISA – OSA.
  • Supervision:
    • Isabelle Piot-Lepetit (INRAE).
  • Doctoral school: École doctorale Economie Gestion de Montpellier.
  • Project duration: 2023–2026.

Project summary:

Objective: the main objective is to analyze how the use of digital technologies transforms existing business models and contributes to the construction of new agroecological and circular business models throughout the agri-food value chain. Public policies expect digital technologies to be major instruments for supporting sustainable agricultural development. However, some research calls for a better understanding of the consequences of digitization. The co-evolution of digital and agroecological trajectories has great potential to change practices and relationships between the various actors in the agri-food value chain.

The research questions are as follows:

• What types of digital technologies are currently used by farmers and businesses, and how do they contribute to agroecological and circular practices?
• What are the drivers and obstacles to the development of business models incorporating sustainable practices?
• How do digital technologies modify the organizational and governance modalities and the strategies of actors in the agri-food value chain?

The main expected outcomes of the thesis are an understanding of digital trajectories and their consequences on the new configurations of the agri-food value chain to develop agroecological and circular practices. Thus, this thesis also aims to contribute to decision-making for both economic actors and public decision-makers in the design of environmentally responsible and economically viable territorial agri-food chains.