HETEROGENEOUS IMPACTS OF AGRI-TECH ON MULTI-DIMENSIONAL ASPECTS OF AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY: THE CASE OF WATERSAVING TECHNOLOGY AND POLYHOUSE

Abstract

The debate over the role of technology in maintaining sustainable agriculture has garnered significant attention. This study evaluates the role of technology on multidimensional aspects of agricultural sustainability in Vietnam. Based on the foundation of indicator-based assessment approach and expert elicitation method on two comprehensive evaluation frameworks SAFA - FAO (2014) and RISE 3.0 - Grenz et al. (2016), and guided by the assessment protocol of Van Asselt et al. (2014), 14 indicators are identified as suitable for the local context. Welch’s ANOVA and Scheffé tests are applied to compare traditional, semi-modern and modern farming. Overall, the results showed that the application of modern technology sustained agriculture in economic and social dimensions. There were no significant environmental differences due to equivalent detrimental consequences among farm types. Noticeably, the alarming level of greenhouse gases (GHG) at hydroponics farms indicates a necessity for more environmentally friendly technology. The overall sustainability scores were in favor of modern farming. Welch’s ANOVA rejected the null hypothesis to signal significant differences among farm types that reinforced our endorsement over the supportive role of technology in sustaining agriculture.