Adoption of Agricultural Innovations Within the ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy: A Realistic Review of Barriers, Paradoxes, and Avenues for Change

The transition towards sustainable agri-food systems, as envisioned in the European Union’s Farm to Fork (F2F) Strategy, largely depends on the incorporation of technological innovations. However, existing literature has predominantly adopted confirmatory approaches focused on general benefits and barriers, without systematically addressing the conceptual and methodological tensions that arise in the implementation of policies of this magnitude. This study seeks to move beyond an incremental review, offering instead a critical and context-specific analysis. A realist review approach was employed to explore outcomes beyond average effects, guided by the central question: what works, for whom, under what conditions, and why? The selection of studies was based on conceptual relevance, including research on technological adoption within the framework of agricultural sustainability policies, even when explicit references to the F2F Strategy were absent. In addition, an epistemological quality scale was applied to weigh the evidence, distinguishing between different levels of methodological robustness, such as case studies and meta-analyses. The analysis shows that technologies such as precision agriculture and digitalization contribute to the objectives of F2F but also generate unforeseen tensions and contradictions during implementation. Conflicts emerge between environmental sustainability goals and short-term economic viability, especially among certain producer profiles. Barriers to adoption are not generic; rather, they vary according to a differentiated typology of small-scale producers, such as family farmers in peripheral EU regions or those transitioning to organic farming. Findings suggest that a strategy focused solely on technological promotion is insufficient. The main contribution of this study lies in the development of a conceptual framework to understand how technological adoption reshapes the tensions among the different pillars of the F2F Strategy, as well as the conditions under which innovation may hinder, rather than facilitate, the agroecological transition. The study concludes with policy recommendations advocating differentiated interventions tailored to the specific contexts of producers.