New Technologies in International Law / Tymofeyeva, Crhák et al.

diffusion of digital agriculture technologies. It was highlighted that if the needs of the interested parties, namely farmers are taken into account, then it is possible to design digital agriculture technologies that are more suitable to different types of farms. It was however also highlighted that this approach may face some challenges, including power relations between the groups involved, the agency of the actors involved in the participatory process, as well as the lack of trust that might exist. These underlying issues would have to be addressed in order to truly achieve an inclusive process of responsible research and innovation in digital agriculture. In conclusion, digital agriculture presents challenges, especially for farmers. States introducing digital agriculture and related policies, should be mindful of the fact that they are bound by obligations under the human right to science. A way to comply with these obligations but also to guide digital agriculture towards a model oriented towards serving society’s needs is RRI. The approach of RRI is only one example of pre-emptive policies (including for example human rights impact assessments) which would help address the risks of digital agriculture in an effective way i.e. through the anticipation of such risks and the adoption of timely legislation to address them.

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