Digital sales and learning platforms are used by 84 and 88 percent, respectively, of the 60 Swedish farmers surveyed, while precision technologies and robotics are considerably less common, at 32 and 22 percent. The research examines how digitalization interacts with agroecological and proto-agroecological farming in Sweden, covering 29 tools across precision farming, robotics, digital sales and digital learning. Using Social Practice Theory, the authors assess how farmers’ competences, available technologies and infrastructure, and the meanings attached to digitalization influence adoption. The exploratory sample mainly comprises small and medium-sized farms and is not intended to represent Swedish agriculture as a whole.

The findings suggest that farmers do not simply accept or reject digitalization. Sales and learning tools are generally considered useful and compatible with agroecological principles, particularly knowledge co-creation, participation and connectivity. By contrast, advanced precision and robotic technologies are often considered costly or poorly adapted to farm size, infrastructure and diversified production. Between 40 and 57 percent of respondents reported that these technologies were inappropriate for their farm context, while concerns also included technological dependency and loss of autonomy. Basic digital competence was not identified as a major barrier.

The authors distinguish enabling, neutral and constraining configurations of digital innovation. They argue that digital technologies can support agroecological transitions when they respond to farmers’ contexts and values, emphasizing participatory and inclusive innovation processes rather than technology adoption as an objective in itself.