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Barriers to the Adoption of Innovations for Sustainable Development in the Agricultural Sector—Systematic Literature Review (SLR)

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Restrepo Campuzano

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

  • Gustavo Adolfo Hincapié Llanos

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

  • Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

  • Gina Lía Orozco Mendoza

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

  • Juan Carlos Palacio

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

  • Mariana Herrera

    (School of Engineering, Faculty of Agroindustrial Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050001, Colombia)

Abstract

In this article, we focused on studying the current barriers to implementing innovations in order for the agricultural sector to become more sustainable. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), 73 scientific articles were obtained with a search equation in SCOPUS. Of these, 48 were analyzed because of the mention of an obstacle preventing the sector from implementing innovations towards sustainability. Information related to the publication year, abstract, authors, keywords, innovation, innovation type, relationship with Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), identified barrier, nature of the barrier (internal/external), agricultural subsector, country, and methodology of each article was identified, and with VantagePoint software, a technological surveillance technique was applied as a quantitative analysis of the information. The United States is the country with the most publications related to the subject. The most mentioned keywords were “Sustainable Agriculture”, “Agroecology”, “Climate Change”, “Innovation”, and “Organic Farming”. Additionally, a qualitative analysis showed 43 types of innovations, 16 of them related to technology. “Organic Agriculture” is the most mentioned innovation, followed by “Genetic Engineering” and “Precision Agriculture”. In addition, 51 barriers were identified, 28 external to farmers and 23 internal. “Lack of policies that promote that innovation Innovative Practices” is the most mentioned barrier, followed by “Epistemic Closure”, “Unfavorable Regulation”, Climate-Smart Agriculture, and “Unskilled Labor”. This article is intended not only to show trends in the barriers to innovation that prevents the achievement of sustainability that the agricultural sector needs, but also to serve as an input for the development of policies that provide solutions to these impediments. It was shown that 17 out of the 28 external barriers are related to topics that could be solved by formulating policies, laws, incentives, guidelines, and regulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Restrepo Campuzano & Gustavo Adolfo Hincapié Llanos & Jhon Wilder Zartha Sossa & Gina Lía Orozco Mendoza & Juan Carlos Palacio & Mariana Herrera, 2023. "Barriers to the Adoption of Innovations for Sustainable Development in the Agricultural Sector—Systematic Literature Review (SLR)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4374-:d:1084313
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Dabkiene, Vida & Siksnelyte-Butkiene, Indre & Streimikiene, Dalia & Sapolaite, Vaida & Balezentis, Tomas, 2025. "From glass to grass ceiling: Addressing gender barriers in agricultural innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 212(C).
    3. Álvaro Forero & Juan Carlos Cruz & Carolina Muñoz, 2025. "Adoption of Agricultural Innovations Within the ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy: A Realistic Review of Barriers, Paradoxes, and Avenues for Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-25, October.
    4. Emanuela Tria & Francesco Di Cosola & Francesco Bozzo & Arturo Casieri & Ervin Zeka & Alessandro Petrontino, 2025. "Sustainability and Quality in Wine Pricing: Insights from the Primitivo E-Commerce Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-21, September.

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