Cultivating a sustainable future: an implementation case study of permaculture and digital technologies in managed farm services context

Abstract

Industrial agriculture's detrimental environmental impact and the growing global demand for food necessitate sustainable agricultural practices. The current study aims to investigate the economic performance and sustainability outcomes of implementing permaculture practices and digital technologies in a managed farm services context in India (two distinct farm types: agroforestry and lifecentric farms), contributing to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable agriculture and highlighting the potential of different implementation approaches to transform the agricultural sector. A mixed-method sequential research design is used, beginning with qualitative interviews conducted with five experts associated with the single case study organization, Hosachiguru, a leading Indian farming company offering managed farm services, followed by quantitative surveys with 208 farmers (108 from agroforestry and 100 from lifecentric farms). Findings reveal that implementing permaculture practices like rainwater harvesting (mean = 4.64) and water management systems (mean = 4.63), alongside digital technologies like IoT-based moisture management (mean = 4.48) and drip irrigation (mean = 4.52), enhances both economic performance and sustainability outcomes according to the farmers. Notably, lifecentric farmers received higher benefits from certain permaculture practices (e.g., mulching, with a statistically significant difference of p < 0.001) and the MyFarm mobile app (p < 0.01) compared to agroforestry farmers. Moreover, farmers prioritized non-price factors like concept representation (mean = 4.25), amenities & facilities (mean = 4.08) and developer reputation (mean = 4.05) when purchasing managed farm services, over price (mean = 3.13). The study’s findings underscore the transformative potential of integrating permaculture and digital technologies in diverse farming contexts. Policymakers and educators should develop supportive policies and training for sustainable and digital farming. The study also provides future research directions such as effect of tailored approaches for sustainable agriculture and the need for a longitudinal study to track improvements over time among others