Harvesting value: Corporate strategies of data assetization in agriculture and their socio-ecological implications

Author:

Hackfort Sarah1ORCID,Marquis Sarah2,Bronson Kelly3

Affiliation:

1. Agricultural and Food Policy Group, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

2. Institute of the Environment, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

3. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

Abstract

The global food system is characterized by market concentration and oligopoly. In our article, we focus on the most powerful input supply and machinery companies and analyze how these firms create value, both economic and otherwise, from big data. In digital capitalism, data is valorized across sectors; personal data is aggregated into large-scale datasets, a practice that feeds economic concentration and monopolization. Big data also has become central to the business model for agricultural companies; it is a claim made by the companies themselves. Yet, little is known about their specific strategies to do so. We aim to fill this gap, asking how is agricultural data transformed into value by the most powerful agribusinesses and ag-tech firms? Through the lens of assetization, we examine corporate strategies for transforming agricultural data into value. We draw on literature from food studies, specifically political economic analyses of the historical practices of agricultural corporations, as well as literature from critical data studies that investigates data as an asset. For our analysis, we rely on a variety of gray literature and public-facing documents: financial documents, sustainability and shareholder reports, terms of use, license agreements, and news articles. Our results contribute to the critical data studies literature on agricultural big data by identifying three main strategies of assetization: securing relationships and dependence, price-setting and data sharing, and product development and targeted marketing. The strategies have socio-ecological implications; our results indicate the reproduction of asymmetrical power relations in the agri-food system favoring corporations and the continuation of long-standing dynamics of inequalities.

Funder

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Reference81 articles.

1. AGCO (2019) AGCO Connect. End user license and terms of use agreement. Available at: https://get.agcoconnect.com/eula/ (accessed 27 May 2023).

2. Arc (2018) Agtechtakeback: Is Digital Consolidation Entrenching Agrichemical Companies & Industrial Ag? ARC2020. Available at: https://www.arc2020.eu/agtechtakeback-digital-consolidation-entrenching-agrichemical-companies-industrial-ag/ (accessed 28 March 2023).

3. BASF (2023a) BASF Ag Rewards. Available at: https://agriculture.basf.ca/west/programs/ag-rewards.html (accessed 28 March 2023).

4. BASF (2023b) Climate Smart Farming. Available at: https://agriculture.basf.com/global/en/sustainable-agriculture/climate-smart-farming.html (accessed 28 March 2023).

Cited by 2 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3