The effects of digital maturity on the sustainable performance of agri-food supply chains in two emerging economies

Purpose The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects digital maturity has on agricultural firms’ sustainable (environmental, social and economic) performance. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a quantitative survey with 480 Brazilian and Chilean agricultural firms. Data analysis was performed using the partial least squares–structural equation modeling method. Findings We found that digital maturity has a direct effect on each of the sub-dimensions of sustainable performance, with the effects on environmental performance being the highest. We also found that digital maturity can explain 62.5% of the variance of sustainable performance, which highlights the great importance of digital maturity in achieving sustainable performance. The effects of digital maturity on sustainable performance are positive and significant both for beginners and mature firms. However, the effects of six of the digital maturity dimensions on digital maturity were considered significantly different (strategy, leadership, marketing, culture, governance and technology). Originality/value The proposed research model extends the literature by exploring the relationship between digital maturity and sustainable performance. This study also extends the natural resources-based view theory since it considers digital maturity as a set of capabilities used to improve sustainable performance. Our study contributes to the literature by studying the proposed research model in emerging economies contexts, particularly in Brazil and Chile. Our study is the first carried out in the agriculture sector that shows that digital maturity is composed of eight distinct capabilities.