Digital Governance in Agroecological Certification: Sociotechnical Challenges for Territorial Sustainability
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21782394Keywords:
Digital governance, Agroecological certification, Sociotechnical innovation, Family farming, Territorial sustainabilityAbstract
The incorporation of digital technologies into agroecological certification procedures in Brazil has been transforming the mechanisms for coordinating, recognizing, and managing family farming production, establishing new relationships among individuals, knowledge, and technological resources in rural areas. Against this backdrop, this study examines digital governance in agroecological certification as a sociotechnical innovation characterized by possibilities and contradictions, considering that its contribution to sustainability depends on the adoption of participatory and inclusive processes adapted to territorial specificities. This qualitative, exploratory, and analytical study was conducted through a literature review and an analysis of documents comprising the Brazilian legal framework, particularly Law No. 10,831/2003 and Decree No. 12,287/2024, concerning the PNPIAF. The theoretical framework brings together perspectives from ecological modernization, the ecology of practices, the ecology of knowledge, and actor-network theory. This combination makes it possible to understand agroecological certification as a complex process shaped by interactions among actors, technologies, knowledge, and forms of territorial organization. The findings show that digital governance can help simplify procedures, increase transparency and traceability, and foster integration among the actors involved. Nevertheless, challenges persist regarding limited digital inclusion, disparities in access to infrastructure, and the unequal distribution of sociotechnical capabilities, which may hinder family farmers’ use and appropriation of these tools.
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