2024 Volume 4 Issue 1 Pages 78-85
In recent years, the government has actively promoted smart farming to address the shortage of agricultural labor. Academic studies have examined both the positive and negative societal impacts of smart farming, yet it is the broader and more diverse parliamentary discussions that significantly shape administrative policies. This study investigates whether parliamentary debates on smart farming policies account for their varied impacts on rural communities. This is the first study to focus on parliamentary discussions to address both the positive and negative social impacts of smart farming policies. We employed text mining techniques on both national and local parliamentary proceedings related to smart farming, followed by a data classification and its relevance to rural issues. The results reveal that while many statements emphasize the link between smart farming and agricultural production, few address rural issues, and even fewer discuss the potential negative impacts on agriculture and rural areas. Moreover, the limited discussions on these negative impacts tended to be biased. This study highlights the lack in parliamentary debates regarding the societal implications of smart farming policies.
