The shift to a digital-only model creates a technical barrier that affects different farm types in distinct ways. Large-scale industrial operations typically employ dedicated administrative staff or use sophisticated farm management software to navigate complex portals. They have the internal bandwidth to manage digital compliance without disrupting daily production. For these entities, the digital requirement is a manageable administrative step.
Small-scale traditional holdings, however, often lack this dedicated support. Many smaller farmers manage every aspect of their business themselves, often juggling manual records alongside digital ones. The reliance on a purely online interface assumes a level of digital literacy and high-speed internet access that may be inconsistent in remote rural areas. This creates a "digital divide." Instead of focusing on soil health or biodiversity, smallholders spend disproportionate time wrestling with software. This time cost translates directly into lost labor, which hits smaller budgets harder. When administrative burdens become a bottleneck, the incentive structure risks favoring those with the most resources to bypass the complexity, potentially pushing smaller, conventional farms further toward the margins of modern agricultural policy.
