Soft compliance and hard laws: regulatory strategies against inequalities in digital agriculture

Attoungbre JM, Fritzsche A (2025)

Publication Type: Conference contribution

Publication year: 2025

Journal

IET Conference Proceedings Institution of Engineering and Technology

Publisher: IEEE

Book Volume: 2025

Pages Range: 31-33

Conference Proceedings Title: International Conference on AI and the Digital Economy (CADE 2025)

Event location: Venice IT

Issue: 22

DOI: 10.1049/icp.2025.2951

Abstract

The paper investigates the role of soft compliance and hard laws in regulating AI implementation in agriculture to protect vulnerable stakeholders. The integration of AI in agriculture presents significant opportunities but also raises regulatory challenges. Prior research on AI regulation debated the merits of soft and hard laws to govern ecosystems. However, scant studies investigated the agricultural system, especially small-scale farming, which is subject to systemic inequalities and injustices in developing countries, where technological advancements exacerbate existing disparities, further marginalizing those already at disadvantage. Through a mixed-methods approach involving case studies and interviews with experts from the smart-farming industry, the study identifies various digital socioeconomic inequalities that accentuate stakeholders’ vulnerabilities in the digital age. To address these inequalities, the paper proposes regulatory strategies to reduce power disparities. This research advances our understanding of the impact of soft compliance and hard laws in AI regulations in agriculture for widespread adoption, with a focus on smallholders. On a practical level, the findings offer valuable insights for AI governance and policy development in northern and western African countries, recommending regulatory strategies for the AI landscape of these regions.

Authors with CRIS profile

Albrecht Fritzsche

Involved external institutions

International University of Rabat (IUR) / الجامعة الدولية للرباط MA Morocco (MA) IEDC-Bled School of Management SI Slovenia (SI)

How to cite

APA:

Attoungbre, J.-M., & Fritzsche, A. (2025). Soft compliance and hard laws: regulatory strategies against inequalities in digital agriculture. In International Conference on AI and the Digital Economy (CADE 2025) (pp. 31-33). Venice, IT: IEEE.

MLA:

Attoungbre, Jeanne-Marie, and Albrecht Fritzsche. "Soft compliance and hard laws: regulatory strategies against inequalities in digital agriculture." Proceedings of the International Conference on AI and the Digital Economy (CADE 2025), Venice IEEE, 2025. 31-33.

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