Framework Proposal for Assessing the Sustainability Impacts of IoT-Enabled Disease Management in Viticulture

Abstract

Digitalization is transforming the wine industry significantly. The application of different digital tools allows for more sustainable wine production practices, which is especially important in the age of climate change and the shift towards organic wine production. This study proposes an integrated methodological framework for assessing the sustainability value generated through digital vineyard management. The study integrates a systematic literature review of sustainability assessment in the wine sector and a case study with an estimation of managerial outputs resulting from digitalization and quantifies their sustainability value using the SROI (social return on investment) methodology. The literature review shows that SROI application within the wine industry is still an emerging research area and is more commonly used for assessing social farming initiatives. The case study demonstrates how digital vineyard management can generate measurable environmental and operational benefits and how these benefits can be translated into quantified sustainability value. The proposed framework shows a transparent pathway for quantifying value generated from digital information, decision-making and the resulting sustainability outcomes, contributing to the emerging field of digital sustainability assessment in viticulture. It can be useful for farmers, technology providers, policymakers and other stakeholders in understanding and communicating the sustainability impacts of digital technologies in vineyard management.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Agriculture, 2026 · DOI ↗