Technologies are essential for productive sectors to increase competitiveness and improve sustainable development. However, the technology benefits present a great delay in adoption in agricultural sectors, due to discrepancies between scientific research and local needs. This article presents a study for improving sustainability practices in the coffee supply chain, using emerging technologies, of two localities in the Frailesca region from Chiapas, Mexico, based on the current situation, expectations and actions expressed by 165 coffee producers and 12 representatives of two coffee producers’ organizations. Based on Mentzer theoretical support, the technology roadmaps, knowledge management and digital compass were used to draw coffee supply chain processes to identify concrete actions and explore technologies. The results show that the technological route must be focused on renewing and improving coffee quality, getting quality certifications and access to specialized markets. Digital quality management and advanced statistical process control seem to be the appropriate emerging technologies for enhancing the acquisition of resistant varieties, proper pest management, improvement in the collection of coffee beans, the right time and way to plant a coffee plant, soil analysis and for the management of weeds and water conservation and harvesting as sustainable practices in this region. In addition, statistical correlation showed that digital technologies can be better adopted, on average, by producers with 4–6 family members, aged between 40–44 years and without additional crops. The findings propose sustainable practices linked with emerging technologies, based on a technology roadmap and knowledge management methodologies for this region.

The coffee plant, with more than 40 billion shrubs, 9 million tons of grains produced, and 80% of its production accounted for by small-scale producers, has been severely damaged since the emergence of Hemileia vastatrix and Hypothenemus hampei. Despite technological support, these pests have caused 20% to 40% production losses, a 50% to 60% deficit in performance, and a cost of between USD 70 million and USD 220 million to the world economies, which forces us to rethink actions centered on people as the key elements to develop appropriate solutions. For this, the present study presents a technological proposal centered on small indigenous coffee producer requirements for introducing Industry 5.0 technologies, considering roadmapping, knowledge management, statistical analysis, and the social, productive, and digital contexts of five localities in Mexico. The results show a correlation between monitoring and control, soil analysis, the creation of organic fertilizers, accompaniment, and coffee experimentation, as the actions to be implemented, proposing the introduction of a mobile application; sensors, virtual platforms, dome-shaped greenhouses, and spectrophotometric technology as relevant technologies centered on indigenous coffee producers’ requirements. This study is important for policymakers, academics, and producers who wish to develop strategies centered on people in Mexico and the world.

Having demonstrated its importance for economic and human developments, technological change is considered one of the biggest supports worldwide. Today, with the population increase, the inclusion of technology is considered the most appropriate way to reduce the impact of this challenge. Considering 171 indigenous coffee producers from Paraje Montero and Tierra Colorada from Guerrero, Mexico, the present study proposes technological routes for the indigenous coffee production chain and the inclusion of emerging technologies such as sensors, actuators, and processing devices basing on the requirements of the chain. During face-to-face sessions, questionaries, field visits, and literature review for knowledge management, the results expose the need of effective actions against diseases and the reduction of climate change, lack of infrastructure, old plantations, and lack of commercialization channels; for these and considering the requirement of greenhouse technology by indigenous coffee producers and following the labor value driver of the digital compass, the necessity of several kinds of sensors, technologies, and methodologies has been identified with high possibilities to be implemented by similar producers analyzed in this manuscript to help in solving the problems identified in this work. The combination of remote sensing, signal processing, and spectroscopy could be employed to explore mineralogical features of soil and help problems with fertilization; sensor modules to collect temperature, humidity, and light intensity data are a priority for greenhouse monitoring; electrochemical sensors and optical technologies could be of great help to detect the presence of diseases in coffee plants; and the installation of a greenhouse solar dryer is necessary to reduce the time of the sun drying process and protect the coffee cherry. These emerging technologies will help to improve the production of coffee. The study contributes to identify a technology roadmap proposing technological implements according to indigenous coffee production chain requirements and serves as support for future studies in indigenous regions.

Currently, technology usage is a fundamental asset for creating, developing, and implementing innovations; however, these are not available to everyone, which is accentuated in women with agricultural occupations. The present study develops a proposal of technologies for mezcalilleras’ sustainability from Oaxaca, Mexico, based on a knowledge management methodology, through the application of questionnaires in face-to-face sessions, field visits, and statistical analysis to explore the imbalances enclosed in the agave–mezcal activity seen as its problems, failures, and barriers, as well as its correlation with the identified technological routes. The results reveal that a technological platform creation, the fabrication of fiber optic refractometer, a metal roof construction, the design of a horizontal distiller–fractionator, the employment of metal containers and production of glass bottles, and the generation of a software and an application, are the suitable technologies, according to the mezcalilleras’ requirements. This proposal can be important for academics, policymakers, and producers who wish to revitalize traditional knowledge of the small-scale sectors in Mexico through new ways of interaction with external agents and customers, new ways of production, and previous years’ production analysis.

La planta del agave tiene un significativo valor económico y cultural, pues no solo se considera un producto agrícola y forestal, sino que además se emplea en la elaboración de una cantidad importante de productos. En México, uno de los derivados más representativos del agave son las bebidas destiladas de mezcal y tequila, cuya venta se ha incrementado fuera del país. En respuesta a esta demanda, Guerrero ha reportado un crecimiento anual de la producción de mezcal del 1,5 %, con un aumento en la superficie de más de 1.000 hectáreas entre 2015 y 2020. Este auge comercial ha generado una expansión e intensificación de la siembra y producción de la Agave spp. (Asparagaceae), así como el uso de técnicas agrícolas de producción inadecuadas y cambios en la tecnología tradicional. Es por ello que el objetivo de este trabajo fue localizar espacialmente el agave mezcal, en particular las especies Agave cupreata Trel. & Berger y Agave angustifolia Haw., con tecnologías geomáticas para identificar los ambientes diversificados del agave (silvestre o cultivado) que fortalezcan los procesos agroproductivos y potencien los subproductos del cultivo. El estudio encontró que la superficie potencial del cultivo de agave es superior a lo reportado por fuentes oficiales en más de 25.000 hectáreas y que los cálculos realizados con tecnologías geomáticas tienen una precisión del 91 % para identificar áreas adecuadas para el aprovechamiento y la conservación de estas dos especies de importancia económica.

Early studies on sustainability establish social, economic, and environmental improvement as the ultimate goal worldwide. This is true for nations or companies with significant economic and technological resources that apply indicators, data, and methodologies to manage harmonious, sustainable development; however, little is known about the management, integration, and measurement of unified social, economic, and environmental dimensions to achieve sustainable actions for agriculture. Therefore, under a qualitative-quantitative approach combining the knowledge management paradigm, sustainability criteria, and the log-linear statistical test, this paper investigates actions for sustainability around planting–harvesting–first disposal of the coffee circuit based on the tacit-explicit traditional knowledge of 55 members of its productive ecosystem from Guerrero, Mexico. The results show a statistical integration between environmental, economic, and social data with 0.000 (p < 0.05); a partial association on its effects with 0.209, 0.068, and 0.000, respectively (p > 0.05); the creation of on-site banks, training and assistance, and a state network for exchanging experiences as the conjectural actions that can show effects with 0.002, while the remaining were over >0.05 (p > 0.05). Governments, organizations, and researchers could extrapolate the model for sustainable agriculture management in the coffee-growing regions and for other crops.