Agriculture is the oldest and most traditional of economic sectors, and its business has seen major leaps in innovation over the past century. Contemporary agribusiness is being influenced and reshaped by technological developments, geopolitical developments, and globalisation, as well as transport and logistics innovations, changes in consumer behaviour. Reflecting on these changes and providing a deep dive into this sector, this two-volume work defines, refines, analyses, and prescribes the evolution of agribusiness in the present and future. Taken together, the books offer a comprehensive conceptualisation of the multifactorial macro, micro and organisational elements of agribusiness, including strategic, managerial, marketing, technological and geo-socio-political forces. Volume II focuses on the wider, macro-environmental forces acting upon agribusinesses, exploring the contextual evolutions that impact the sector, and the means, practices and avenues for its development.It includes topics such as digital technologies adoption, supply chain sustainability, big data analytics, women’s agricultural entrepreneurship, and simulation model decision making.

The 2013 annual conference of the Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA) has been held in the attractive scenario of the city of Lecce under the organization of three different Universities of the Apulia Region (Università degli Studi di Bari, Università degli Studi di Foggia and Università del Salento). The scientific theme of the 50th SIDEA Conference has been “Sustainability of the agri-food system: Strategies and Performances” (Sostenibilità del Sistema Agroalimentare: strategie e performance). With such a topic, the SIDEA intended to cope with the challenges coming from a growing demand of food in a world where critical natural resources such as water, energy and land are becoming increasingly scarce and climate change is posing credible threats. The agri-food system and the broader bio-based economy are, in fact, human activities where the classic dimensions of sustainability (ecological, economic and social) are gaining a striking weight often showing evidence of frictions. Despite a significant growth in food production over the past century, today one of the most important challenges facing agro-food system is how to feed a growing population.

According to Prof. D. Despommier, by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Furthermore, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. New land will be needed to grow enough food to feed them. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster? One possible solution is indoor farming. However, not all crops can easily be moved in an indoor environment. Nevertheless, to secure the food supply, it is necessary to increase the automation level in agriculture significantly. This book intends to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and automation examples in agriculture.

This two-volume edited work explores how businesses shape, and are shaped by, sustainability forces and phenomena. Major global developments are inexorably being led by a sustainability agenda, which, in itself constitutes an integral part of business evolution. And as context shapes content, shifts in society have gradually given rise to new regulations, new types of markets, environmental-excellence criteria for businesses, new economic standards, and a wide range of green technologies. Reflecting the purpose of the series, both volumes offer a cross-section of multi-disciplinary perspectives within business studies. Volume 1 focuses on strategic and managerial approaches to sustainability in business, including accounts on the historic origins of sustainability and its contemporary corporate sustainable models. Volume 2 explores, more contextually, how business and social sustainability constitute indivisible and inextricable components of the same nexus. Taken together, they offer an original perspective on how businesses can help achieve the SDG goals and targets.

Using real cases of food fi rms and agriculture supply chains as a context, How is Digitalization Affecting Agri-food? New Business Models, Strategies and Organizational Forms aims to understand the key themes in strategic and organizational research in this area. Despite the importance of food and agriculture in the current political and societal context, analysis of the impact of digitalization and information technologies on the industry is still limited. The objective of this monograph is to understand the direction of this change. With case studies of food firms and agriculture supply chains it sets out to conceptualize food organizing and organizations as a fruitful object of inquiry, both at the intra and interorganizational levels. It aims to understand new business models, strategies, and organizational forms. Contributions in this stream of research have the potential to yield important and relevant insights for both scholars and societies. This book is written primarily for academics engaged in innovation management or strategy, or conducting organizational behavior research. It will also be of relevance to practitioners and managers in the agri-food industry.