A Framework to Measure Maturity of Industrial IoT Technology for Agricultural Regulatory Compliance Activities and Decentralization

Compliance checks are a critical aspect of any agricultural production and supply chain. These comprise a chain of activities and responsibilities shared by producers and regulators. Currently, the responsibility for collecting and processing data primarily lies with the regulators. Regulators are the primary users of regulatory technologies, while producers, such as farmers, have limited capabilities. This has been due to a lack of reliable hardware and software technology that can be deployed at the producer’s sites. However, recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and cloud computing have significantly increased reliability and reduced deployment costs. This paper reviews the regulatory landscape of agriculture, regulatory technologies, IIoT, and their feasibility for producers, using a new Technology Readiness Framework for Compliance, specifically designed for Regulatory Technologies (RegTech) and regulation compliance. It classifies technologies into three categories: Early Stage, Emerging, and Established. It concludes that most essential agricultural issues already have mature technological solutions within the scope of IIoT that producers can use directly without supervision, while still maintaining the integrity and validity of the data. The paper discusses and measures the maturity of IIoT and other electronic and digital technologies for integration into RegTech. This categorization offers a new perspective on technology readiness and lays the foundation for future RegTech platform design, e.g., by decentralizing and empowering producers with reliable technologies.