Impact of industry 4.0 technologies on the oil palm industry: A literature review

This study presents a review of the impacts of Industrial Revolution 4 (IR4) technologies on the oil palm industry, focusing on their applications in enhancing productivity, sustainability, and socio-economic outcomes. Key technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), big data analytics, and remote sensing were examined for their roles in various applications. Findings indicate that these technologies have significantly improved palm oil production processes, offering innovative solutions to enhance efficiency while reducing environmental impact. They also contribute to addressing socio-economic challenges such as labour rights issues and transparency in supply chain management. Among 98 of the reviewed studies in this literature review, IR4 technologies were applied the most for oil palm plantation mapping (33.1 %), disease detection (24.8 %) and palm fruit grading (10.8 %). However, challenges like high implementation costs and workforce skill requirements remain as barriers to its widespread adoption. Future research should focus on developing scalable, cost-effective solutions to ensure equitable access across different segments of the industry. Lastly, this review also discussed the potential of Industrial Revolution 5 (IR5) concept to revolutionise the oil palm sector and guide it toward a more human-centric and sustainable future.