Advances in Sustainable Agriculture and Economic Viability: The Role of Technology
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Agriculture".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 October 2026 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editors
Interests: agricultural and food economics; agricultural and food policy; innovation in the agri-food sector; digital technologies in the agri-food supply chain; circular economy
Interests: agricultural and resources economics; food policy; consumer behavior; precision agriculture; renewable energy; blockchain technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The current agri-food system is facing increasingly complex challenges, from climate change and market shocks to shifts in food trends. The COVID-19 pandemic, global conflicts, and new tariffs imposed by the United States have highlighted the fragility of the sector, which is increasingly considered unsustainable in environmental, social, and economic terms. From an environmental perspective, the significant use of water and soil, greenhouse gas emissions, reliance on fertilizers and pesticides, and the generation of substantial waste call for more sustainable production practices. Social sustainability, underlined by the new European Common Agricultural Policy, has become a central pillar of the modern agri-food system, aimed at ensuring fairness in working conditions, just remuneration, generational renewal, and the right to food security.
These environmental and social dynamics strongly influence the economic viability of the sector, which is increasingly tested by uncertain climatic conditions, rising input costs, the decline in farm incomes, the vulnerability of supply chains, and the reduction of agricultural businesses. Against this backdrop, technology emerges as a decisive factor in reconciling sustainability and economic viability. The digitalization of agri-food supply chains promotes modernization, competitiveness, and resilience. Digital and data-driven technologies—such as precision agriculture, robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and remote sensing—offer transformative potential by enabling farmers and food operators to increase efficiency, optimize resource use, and reduce environmental impacts, while safeguarding profitability and long-term viability.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include contributions that critically examine the role of technology in advancing sustainable agriculture and strengthening economic viability. We particularly encourage studies that explore innovative tools and practices, assess their environmental and economic impacts, and investigate how digitalization can support the transition toward more resilient, fair, and competitive agri-food systems. We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Giulia Chiaraluce
Prof. Dr. Deborah Bentivoglio
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- sustainable agriculture
- economic sustainability
- digital agriculture
- precision and smart farming
- agri-food supply chain resilience
- blockchain for agri-food
- innovation and competitiveness
- agricultural and food policy
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