Digital Soil Monitoring and Environmental Justice: Unequal Access to Agricultural Innovations in the Andean Region of Ecuador

Abstract

This article examines the barriers and opportunities associated with the adoption of digital soil monitoring technologies in the Ecuadorian Andean region, focusing on their implications for environmental justice and agricultural sustainability. Based on fieldwork carried out between November and December 2024, this study draws on interviews with 83 smallholder farmers and 22 agricultural experts in Cotopaxi. The findings show important barriers, including high upfront costs, limited tailored technical training, and restricted connectivity in rural areas. These factors reinforce structural inequalities and limit smallholders’ ability to benefit from these innovations. Even with these difficulties, farmers who have partially incorporated digital soil monitoring tools reported productivity gains of 20%–30% in crops such as corn and potatoes. Public policies should prioritize targeted subsidies, culturally adapted training programs, and investments in technological infrastructure to reduce existing gaps. It is also necessary to create regulatory frameworks that protect farmers’ rights over the data generated on their farms. This research highlights the need for an inclusive approach to agricultural digitalization, showing that these technologies can improve the agricultural sector in Ecuador when the current inequalities are addressed.