Digitalisation in Agroecology: A workshop to explore its ethical, legal, and social aspects.

There is very limited knowledge around the use of AI in the agricultural sector in the context of agroecological farming systems. With this workshop we want to explore the ethical, legal and social aspects (ELSA) involved and further the understanding of the potential for interconnectedness of the digital and agricultural sectors from the point of view of farmers, primarily women and young farmers, and of digital tools providers.

Join our online workshop on 8 October 2025 at 15:00 CET.

Digital tools can be found everywhere in agriculture, many of which entail artificial intelligence and large data models. However, ethical, legal, social aspects (ELSA) of this approach are often unclear, especially in the context of agroecological systems. The workshop will explore the perspectives of diverse stakeholders of digital tools in agroecology, with a specific focus on their potential impact on supply chains, communities, and knowledge systems. The workshop will reflect on the findings of five case studies by discussing with different stakeholders and eliciting their views on the role of the farmer within the supply chain, the significance of efficiency gains and shifting labour conditions for the community and the difficulties of keeping abreast of changing legislation with regard to AI, data sovereignty, and transparency.

Objectives of the workshop:

Advance knowledge of the understanding and needs of farmers for social and economic empowerment, and how digital tools could support it.
Understand the linkages to communities, supply chains, and knowledge systems, from the point of view of digital tools providers and businesses.
Identify the drivers and barriers, perceived and real, to the adoption of digital tools in agroecological farming systems, from the point of view of farmers as well as digital tools providers, and understand how these are reflected in their business approaches.

Programme:

15:00 Introduction: the PATH2DEA project and the objectives of the workshop

15:10 Agroecology: the importance of social values in agriculture

15:20 What is ELSA?

15:30 ELSA in the context agroecological farming systems

15:40 Brief break

15:45 Introduction to the group debates

15:50 On supply chains:
The role of the farmer within food production vis-à-vis other stakeholders

16:10 On community ties:
Efficiency gains and shifting labour conditions and their impact on communities

16:30 On knowledge networks: Developers' perspectives on AI and data legislation and its impact on knowledge generation and dissemination

16:50 Final thoughts & closing of the workshop

Registration is open until 6 October 2025.