# The Impact of the 4.0 Paradigm in the Italian Agricultural Sector: A Descriptive Survey
## 2 Literature Review
### Enabling Digital Solutions for Agri 4.0  
Taxonomes to group digital solutions in Agri 4.0 have already been presented in the literature. In particular, some interesting solutions are the ones presented by [PERSON] et al. [9] and [PERSON] et al. [10]; in both studies, the authors have presented an interesting categorization and description of the main technologies to be considered in Agri 4.0.  
On the other hand, the current study focuses on solutions rather than technologies (i.e., different technologies can be part of the same type of solution); therefore, drawing on information and insights arising from the literature, five different clusters are presented: decision support system software; monitoring systems; systems for precision activities; mapping systems; and autonomous systems. The full list is presented in Table 1.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Cluster of Technology Solutions** & **Solutions** & **References** \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{Decision support system software} & Business management software & \\ \cline{2-3}  & Decision support system (DSS) & [15; 16] \\ \hline \multirow{6}{*}{Monitoring systems} & Agricultural machinery and equipment & \\ \cline{2-3}  & Crop and soil & \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Enterprise infrastructure & \\ \cline{1-1} \cline{2-3}  & Indoor cultivation & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: List of the Agri 4.0 solutions considered.  
1. **Decision support system software:** This type of software facilitates the decision-making process by helping prioritize goals, evaluate alternatives, and simulate outcomes. Within this category, there are two key reference solutions: (a) Business management software helps in automating the management processes within companies. In particular, this software is useful for various business functions, such as agricultural production, warehouse management, and accounting [15]. (b) Decision support systems (DSS) are computer tools that use data and mathematical models to support the decision maker, here being the farmer [16]. 2. **Monitoring systems:** Monitoring systems use different technologies, such as smart sensors and pervasive connectivity, to monitor different areas of a farm [17; 18]. The Agri 4.0 paradigm diffusion strongly relies on the development of innovative technologies such as sensors, the IoT, and Big Data [19]. Therefore, this cluster is divided into four different application areas that cover the main areas to be monitored within an agricultural company: agricultural machinery and equipment domain, crop and soils monitoring, enterprise infrastructure, and indoor cultivation. 3. **Systems for precision activities:** The systems for precision activities enable the targeted use of various agricultural inputs [9; 20]. Specifically, in this cluster, it is possible to identify three solutions: precision irrigation systems, variable rate distribution systems, and on-field treatment with drones. 4. **Mapping systems:** Land mapping is a fundamental activity of Agri 4.0. Thanks to the knowledge of the spatial variability of soil properties, farm potential in terms of quality, quantity, and yield can be optimized [18; 21]. In this regard, the three solutions refer to satellite technologies, mapping equipment installed on machinery, and mapping through drones. 5. **Autonomous systems:** The use of increasingly advanced IT (information technology) and OT (operation technology) leads the agriculture industry to use autonomous systems both in terms of moving machines during operations and in terms of deciding on the activities to be performed within the fields [10; 22]. The main solutions of this cluster are robots for field activities and satellite guidance.