# Revolution 4.0: Industry vs. Agriculture in a Future Development for SMEs
## 4 Revolution from 4.0 to 5.0: Industry vs. Agriculture
### Agriculture 4.0 Progress  
The first 4.0 project (\"Fabbrica 4.0\") in Italy was launched by Confindustria (the largest national association of industries) in 2014. The aim was to promote a better information on possibilities that digitalization can offer to current industries. Additionally, the Minister of Economic Development has stated \"Industry 4.0\" as an area of strategic investment in a recent paper about the Italian situation on the industrial digitalization. A 5.0 revolution represents the immediate future in the industrial sector [94; 103]. How far is Agro-Food Industry from Industry 4.0 (and 5.0)? Digital investment in the agricultural sector in Italy is still limited. In this context, the Smart AgriFood Observatory wants to become the reference point in Italy, with the aim of understanding digital innovations (e.g., on process, infrastructure, applications)  
Figure 6: Number of scientific works published year-wise. Source: Own elaboration. that are transforming the agricultural and agri-food chain, unifying the main skills needed (e.g., economic-management). Its aim is to convey the research results to decision makers, offering (i) opportunities for meeting and discussion among stakeholders to promote dialogue and innovation of value, and (ii) culture, spreading information and knowledge about digital innovation in the supply chain. According to the findings of the Polytechnic of Milan with its Smart AgriFood Observatory and the Rise Laboratory of the University of Brescia, there is a slight growth as several small and medium-sized Italian firms are adapting 4.0 technologies. These firms are supported by the innovative drive of about 500 international start-ups Smart AgriFood, born since 2011 and of which 60 of them are Italian. The fusion of precision agriculture and the Internet of farming leads to Agriculture 4.0 (or digital agriculture), which interconnects different technologies aimed at improving yield and sustainability of crops, increasing working conditions, and the quality of production and processing. Additionally, the development of Agriculture 4.0 is good not only for farms but also for sustainable development [27]. In fact, the cross-analysis of environmental, climatic, and cultural factors allows to establish the irrigation and nutritive needs of the crops, to prevent pathologies, and to identify weeds before they proliferate; consequently, it is possible to intervene in a targeted way, saving material and temporal resources and carrying out more effective interventions, which have a positive impact on the quality of the finished product. The benefit is, therefore, both qualitative and quantitative. On the one hand, the farms achieve a saving on production inputs of 30% with an increase in production of 20%, and on the other hand, they have obtained products of higher quality without any residue of chemicals. Thanks to these technologies, it is, in fact, possible to establish the most appropriate time for harvesting and manage it, if necessary, in several phases, to capture the product at the most suitable time depending on the use that will be made along the supply chain. It is precisely by exploiting these data along the supply chain that the greatest value of Agriculture 4.0 is grasped. It is conceivable to trace and certify products from the field to the processing industry, set up short supply chains, obtain products of the highest quality, and create efficiency not only in the production processes, but also in those of the exchange of goods and information among the different actors in the value chain. Agriculture 5.0 predicts the attendance of autonomous systems in rural environments. With a view to further technological development, advances in autonomous driving technology for cars, including object detection capabilities through multi-camera systems, and radar and lidar technology, have already reduced the cost of developing autonomous agricultural machinery [107; 108; 109].