Paper Number
ICIS2025-2521
Paper Type
Complete
Abstract
Digitalization is increasingly seen as the pathway to agricultural value chain sustainability. Yet, its success, especially in smallholder-dominated contexts remain uncertain. In this paper, we inductively develop a multi-actor alignment framework that explains how stakeholder interactions, mediated by digitalization, shape sustainability outcomes. Drawing upon qualitative fieldwork carried out across 13 districts of Karnataka, India, we analyse interactions amongst the key stakeholders - farmers, farmer collectives, and agritech firms. Our findings reveal seven domains of alignment - infrastructural, institutional, normative, relational, informational, temporal, and strategic. Alignments across these domains improved sustainability outcomes such as reduced waste, higher incomes, responsible use of inputs, and inclusion of smallholders. Misalignments led to exclusion, mistrust, inefficiencies and negatively impacted sustainability outcomes. This study extends IS alignment literature beyond the existing intra-organizational contexts, adds a processual dimension to existing ICTD gap models and provides a multi-actor framework to analyse stakeholder interactions in digital sustainability initiatives.
Recommended Citation
Baje, Ashwini and Prakash, Amit, "Digitalization, Actor Alignment and Sustainability Outcomes in Agricultural Value Chains" (2025). ICIS 2025 Proceedings. 18.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2025/sustain/sustain/18
Digitalization, Actor Alignment and Sustainability Outcomes in Agricultural Value Chains
Digitalization is increasingly seen as the pathway to agricultural value chain sustainability. Yet, its success, especially in smallholder-dominated contexts remain uncertain. In this paper, we inductively develop a multi-actor alignment framework that explains how stakeholder interactions, mediated by digitalization, shape sustainability outcomes. Drawing upon qualitative fieldwork carried out across 13 districts of Karnataka, India, we analyse interactions amongst the key stakeholders - farmers, farmer collectives, and agritech firms. Our findings reveal seven domains of alignment - infrastructural, institutional, normative, relational, informational, temporal, and strategic. Alignments across these domains improved sustainability outcomes such as reduced waste, higher incomes, responsible use of inputs, and inclusion of smallholders. Misalignments led to exclusion, mistrust, inefficiencies and negatively impacted sustainability outcomes. This study extends IS alignment literature beyond the existing intra-organizational contexts, adds a processual dimension to existing ICTD gap models and provides a multi-actor framework to analyse stakeholder interactions in digital sustainability initiatives.
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04-Sustainability