[Defended thesis] Giffona Loysell Justinia Hanitravelo: Impact of digital development on farm performance and agglomeration

Impact of digital development on farm performance and agglomeration

I'm Giffona Loysell Justinia Hanitravelo, a PhD student at the Laboratoire de Recherche en Sciences Sociales (LARESS) at the Ecole Supérieure d'Agricultures (ESA) in Angers. I studied at the Bretagne Loire University - Agrocampus Ouest where I specialized in applied economics (Agriculture, Sea and Environment). I then worked as a research engineer at INRA's UMR SMART-LERECO in Rennes, working on issues concerning the performance of European and French farms. This led me to pursue these subjects with this thesis.

• Starting date: October 2017
• University: Bretagne Loire – AgroCampus Ouest
• PhD school: EDGE  (Ecole Doctorale sciences Economiques et sciences De Gestion)
• Scientific field: Economic sciences
• Thesis management: Damien Rousselière (Prof. AgroCampus Ouest)
• Thesis supervisors: Nejla Ben Arfa et Mohamed Ghali (ESA LARESS, Angers)
• Funding: ESA Angers et Région de Pays de la Loire
• #DigitAg : Labeled PhD – Axe 1 – Challenges 1 et 6

Keywords: Digital technologies, Internet connection, Milking robot, Decision support tool, Electronic monitoring tool, Dairy production, Dairy effluents, Agglomeration benefits, France

Abstract: All firm attempt to improve their economic performance, however in our modern-day world, they must be also concerned about their environmental performance. New digital technologies are seen as a new source of performance and innovation gain. In this thesis we will examine whether these technologies can improve the farm’s economic and environmental performance. Also, we will investigate how far these technologies influence the agglomeration and the concentration of agricultural activities by releasing the constraints of geographical proximity for the accumulation of knowledge (spillover of knowledge localized) and / or by reducing the congestion factors related in particular to regulations and to the environmental nuisances.

Jury compound:

• Nejla Ben Arfa, Maître de conférences, ESA, LARESS, Co-encadrante
  Mohamed Ghali, Maître de conférences, ESA, LARESS, Co-encadrant
  Pierre Labarthe, Directeur de Recherche, INRAE, AGIR, Rapporteur
  Laure Latruffe, Directrice de Recherche, INRAE, GRETHA, Présidente
  Damien Rousselière, Professeur, Institut Agro AGROCAMPUS OUEST, SMART-LERECO, Directeur de Thèse
  Julien Salanié, Professeur, Université de Saint Etienne, GATE, Rapporteur

Contact :  n.benarfa [AT] groupe-esa.com

Social networks: LinkedIn – Twitter

Download the thesis manuscript