Industry 4.0 and Agriculture 4.0 – The same or different?

Abstract

Introduction The terms Industry 4.0 and Agriculture 4.0 are currently frequently used in the public debate on the future development of the sectors. However, a closer analysis reveals, that both the content of the individual terms and their possible interrelationships are insufficiently clarified. In many cases, everyone associates their own image and imagination with them. This leads to the fact that although everyone uses the same term, very different ideas are associated with it. This is a very poor basis for a common orientation, which is what the pair of terms is intended to achieve. A structure is to be created here within the framework of a VDI/VDE guideline committee on the topic of "Status of the use of Industry 4.0 Technologies in Agricultural Engineering". The discussion covers several stages. It is based on the current understanding of the term Industry 4.0, with its structure and objectives. In the transition from Industry 4.0 to agriculture, the sectoral differences between industry and agriculture must be analysed in order to determine the direction of the degree of mechanisation. Based on this, the current status of structures of Industry 4.0 in agriculture in practice and theory will be presented using various examples from the arable and livestock farming. Altogether it is shown that in many cases a broadly coordinated understanding of the terms of the group concerned is necessary. Therefore, this contribution is also intended as a basis for discussion with the expert public in order to further develop the general understanding on this basis.