Willingness to Adopt Technologies of Precision Agriculture: A Case Study of the Czech Republic (original) (raw)
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Many technologies have appeared in agriculture to reduce the harmful effects of chemical use. One of these technologies is precision farming technology. Precision farming technology should not be considered as only the latest plant production technology or only a new agro-management tool. It is achieved only when the results of electronics and IT equipment are realized in the variable rate treatments zone-by-zone. The advantages and disadvantages of this technology highly depend on the heterogeneity of soil, the knowledge and attitude of the manager and the staff. This is the reason why opinions about the technology effects are so wide. This paper shows the results of the investigation based on interviews about the adoption and knowledge of precision farming technology among Hungarian crop producers. This technology is mostly used by farms over 300 hectares with young farmers. The most characteristic elements were precision fertilization and tractor guidance. The survey examined three groups of farmers with respect to whether they apply precision farming elements or not. We refer to them as "users", "planners" and "non-users". According to the survey, the opinions of the "user" and the "non-user" groups of farmers are not significantly different regarding the impacts of precision farming technology (the main advantages were the change in yield quantity, chemical usage and income). Furthermore, the opinions of the farmers regarding the changes in variable costs resulting from the adoption of precision farming technology were also examined (measured in percent). Box-plot
Main Motivational Factors of Farmers Adopting Precision Farming in Hungary
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The basic question of our research is what crop-producing farmers know about PF (precision farming), and how economic value and social factors motivate the acceptance and implementation of PF. We conducted a cross-sectional survey, using standardized questionnaires, in 2018, that was nationally representative of Hungarian crop producers. Besides this, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews about the meaning of PF, with the farmers who use PF in practice. They defined it as a tool of strategic planning, to serve input savings, using state-of-the-art technologies. Based on the questionnaire, we found that the farmers currently applying PF do not seem to have such a significant impact on the agricultural society that would make others want to move to precision technology, following their example. As a result of the factor analysis, we could differentiate direct and indirect factors. Potential human resources are undereducated, their willingness to improve their knowledge is low, and the level of cooperation ability is low, making it excessively difficult, or even impossible, to acquire the equipment necessary for a technology switch and to purchase the necessary services. It can be concluded that age, production, and technical usefulness carries greater weight over things like monetary factors, productivity of cultivated land, knowledge capital, and willingness of Hungarian farmers to cooperate.
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Precision farming may play an important role in agricultural innovation. The study focuses on the attitude of Hungarian farmers toward precision farming. Based on the relevant technical literature, we performed a nationally representative questionnaire survey of 594 farmers and deep interviews with experts and farmers (30 persons). As regards the questionnaire, the authors found that the management of the average farm size in Hungary has the highest willingness to innovate and the second highest level of education among the developed clusters. The survey shows undertrained farmers with large farms to be the second most open group, which may result in the partial application of precision farming techniques. One of the most unexpected results of the Precision Farmers’ cluster is that the positive socio-economic utility of precision farming is rated as extremely low. In-depth interviews prove that the use of precision technologies does not increase local social cohesion. Strong organis...
International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Precision agriculture (PA) through the use and utilization of innovative technologies is a concept in agricultural management that enables long-term efficiency gains, control of unforeseen changes, and a reduction of negative impacts on the environment. However, there are even more reasons and benefits to using precision agriculture technologies (PATs) on farms, but the actual use on small farms is often questionable. The main objective of this research was to evaluate and analyze the current state of PA and its potential on a set of small farms. In addition, a comparison was made between small farms located in less favored areas (LFAs) and more favored areas (MFAs) to find if specific characteristics of the surrounding environment affect the (non-) implementation of these technologies by farm owners, with respect to the given regional possibilities. The result shows that 57.5% of respondents on these farms have never implemented PATs before and 20% are beginners in their respective fields. It was found that there were no statistically significant differences in the integration between fewer LFAs and MFAs technologies and their use in this study. The majority of respondents believe that the main changes need to occur on the level of politics. The results show that the level of cost or initial investment is the main reason and the main obstacle in the implementation of PATs on the surveyed farms.
Hungarian Farmers and the Adoption of Precision Farming
European Countryside
Definitions of precision farming emphasise that it is at the heart of the pursuit of economic, environmental and social sustainability. In our study, precision farming is understood as a form of farming that seeks to optimise and manage efficiently, where technology is the key factor, but is primarily based on human knowledge and willingness to use technology. We discuss precision farming as a social innovation of artificial intelligence. Primarily, the social conditions of the application were the focus of our research, which is characteristically different from economic, financial and productivity approaches. The potential for the application of precision farming varies widely from country to country. Our aim is to analyse the diffusion and limitations of precision farming in Hungary and the motivations of farmers. In our qualitative research, we interviewed 60 precision farmers and 10 experts about their perceptions of precision technology and their motivations and barriers to th...
Precision Agriculture Technologies for Crop and Livestock Production in the Czech Republic
Agriculture, 2022
Modern technologies are penetrating all fields of human activity, including agriculture, where they significantly affect the quantity and quality of agricultural production. Precision agriculture can be characterised as an effort to improve the results of practical farming, achieving higher profits by exploiting the existing spatial unevenness of soil properties. We aim to evaluate precision agriculture technologies' practical use in agricultural enterprises in the Czech Republic. The research was based on a questionnaire survey in which 131 farms participated. We validated the hypothesis through a Chi-squared test on the frequency of occurrence of end-use technology. The results showed that precision farming technologies are used more in crop than livestock production. In particular, 58.02% of enterprises use intelligent weather stations, 89.31% use uncrewed vehicles, and 61.83% use navigation and optimisation systems for optimising journeys. These technologies are the most used and closely related to autonomous driving and robotics in agriculture. The results indicate how willing are agricultural enterprises to adopt new technologies. For policy makers, these findings show which precision farming technologies are already implemented. This can make it easier to direct funding towards grants and projects.
Information Processing in Agriculture, 2016
Identifying factors that influence the attitudes of agricultural experts regarding precision agriculture plays an important role in developing, promoting and establishing precision agriculture. The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting the attitudes of agricultural experts regarding the implementation of precision agriculture. A descriptive research design was employed as the research method. A research-made questionnaire was used to examine the agricultural experts' attitude toward precision agriculture. Internal consistency was demonstrated with a coefficient alpha of 0.87, and the content and face validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of experts. The results show that technical, economic and accessibility factors accounted for 55% of the changes in attitudes towards precision agriculture. The findings revealed that there were no significant differences between participants in terms of gender, field of study, extension education, age, experience, organizational position and attitudes, while education levels had a significant effect on the respondent's attitudes.
Precision Agriculture in Hungary: Are perceptions far from the facts?
2017 International Congress, August 28-September 1, 2017, Parma, Italy, 2017
Technological progress can possibly offer multiple solution to the most significant challenges faced by agriculture. Although benefits of precision agriculture are promoted from long period, however its diffusion progressing in slower manner. Percepcions of Hungarian FADN arable farms collected through a survey (2016) is contrasted with the costbenefit analysis of farms already applying certin parts of precision agriculture technology. The survey revealed the details of the application of different technologies and their impacts as perceived among arable farms. Special subsidies implementing into the "greening" component of CAP will be an incinting factor for supporting the wider spread of PA.
Studies in Agricultural Economics
Technological progress can provide several solutions to the most significant challenges faced by agriculture. Precision agriculture (PA) technologies have been recognised as one of the rare win-win solutions for environmental and socioeconomic goals. Although they have been available for decades, their diffusion progresses at a slow rate. Therefore, in recent years, precision farming has been receiving more attention from agricultural economists. Perceptions of Hungarian FADN arable farms about precision farming were collected through a survey in order to compare with cost-benefit analyses. The survey not only revealed the details of the application of different technologies but also their impacts perceived compared to a baseline situation. For the main crops, the results confirmed that precision farming leads to increasing yields and has profitability benefits compared to conventional farming. According to the respondents, the high investment cost is the main barrier to diffusion, while subsidies and more appropriate information could foster it. Therefore, a specific subsidy package implemented both in the 'greening' component and in the Rural Development Programme of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy would be a stimulating factor for the wider spread of PA.
Factors Influencing Adoption and Use of Precision Agriculture
2006
While the potential for creating efficiencies are possible with precision agricultural tools, the various combinations of tools, the steep learning curve of these technologies, and the initial investment of each of the tools complicate farmers' decisions to adopt these technologies. The purpose of this study is to create a model that describes, explains, and predicts precision agriculture adoption. The research takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying precision agriculture adoption. The proposed model is based on the Transtheoretical Model's stage of change and the decision making construct, decisional balance. Additionally, the constructs of v precision agriculture self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, and perceived compatibility are integrated in the adoption decision model. A survey instrument was created to measure stage of change, decisional balance, precision agriculture self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, and perceived compatibility. 261 surveys were used in this study to empirically test the adoption-decision model. The results indicated that decisional balance, which is the weighing of importance of the advantages and disadvantages of using precision agriculture did, in fact, predict the stage of change. Additionally, perceived ease of use influenced the decisional balance. Perceived compatibility affected both decisional balance and the stage of change. The study did not find support that precision agriculture self-efficacy directly influenced the stage of change, but precision agriculture self-efficacy did indirectly affect stage of change through decisional balance and perceived ease of use. Farm size also influenced the stage of change, while off-farm employment and educational level did not affect the stage of change.