A Agricultura Digital como Territorialidade do Agronegócio na Região Geográfica Imediata de Alfenas-Mg (2011-2023)

Abstract

The study examines the predominant impacts of employing digital technologies in agriculture, specifically focusing on the Immediate Geographical Region of AlfenasMG from the years 2011 to 2023. Structured in three chapters, the first addresses fundamental concepts related to Geography, highlighting productive restructuring, agricultural modernization, and the definition of agribusiness in the Brazilian context. The second chapter sheds light on the concept of Digital Agriculture and its discussions in the academic sphere. The third chapter presents the research results, contributing to a detailed economic characterization of agribusiness activities in the region. It also analyzes how companies in this sector incorporate digital technologies and their impacts on territorial use. This work is part of a broader project funded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais (Fapemig), titled "Agribusiness, peasantry, and digital technologies in the countryside: a study on the Intermediate Geographical Region of Varginha." Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted, with 11 taking place during the Agrishow in Ribeirão Preto-SP and 6 in the Immediate Region of Alfenas-MG, involving representatives from agribusiness. These primary data directly contribute to building the qualitative foundation of the research, complemented by secondary data collection supporting the quantitative aspects, especially regarding the economic aspects of agribusiness. The focus on agricultural digitization encompasses a sociotechnical process aiming to integrate digital innovations into the sector. It includes various elements such as big data, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, robotics, sensors, 3D printing, integrated systems, connectivity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, and blockchain. This complex approach reorganizes the productive structure and the perspective of agricultural modernization, introducing a new form of territorialization in agribusiness. The economic impacts are influenced by controversial labor relations that permeate the social production of the geographic space. These impacts, evident on various scales from global to local, indicate that the use of digital technologies by agribusiness companies not only fails to surpass but reinforces their hegemonic position in the region.