AgriTech Innovation and Food Security: Balancing Technological Disruption and Smallholder Inclusion

Abstract

Global food security faces serious challenges due to climate change, market volatility, and limited access to nutritious food. Agricultural technology innovation (AgriTech) is seen as one of the solutions to increase productivity and efficiency, but its implementation among smallholders still faces various obstacles, especially related to costs, digital literacy, and limited infrastructure. This research aims to evaluate the balance between agronomic efficiency and social inclusion in the implementation of AgriTech, identify effective mentoring models, and formulate policy recommendations oriented towards equity in access. The research method uses a qualitative approach with a case study design on smallholders in rural Indonesia. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 25 participants, field observations, and simple questionnaires of 50 respondents, then analyzed with Miles and Huberman's interactive model combined with quantitative descriptive analysis. The results show that AgriTech is able to increase productivity by an average of 12% per planting season and reduce input costs, but there are still significant obstacles in the form of application costs, limited internet networks, and low digital literacy. The findings also show that blended extension approaches  (a combination of face-to-face and digital counseling) and collective institutional strengthening have proven effective in expanding adoption. This research confirms that sustainable food security can only be achieved through a balance between technological disruption and smallholder inclusion. Policy implications include subsidies for application access, integration of fintech services with digital advisory, and digital literacy programs to strengthen the capacity of farmers to utilize technological innovations.