Farming and the Internet: Factors Affecting Input Purchases Online and Reasons for Non-Adoption

Using the 2005 ARMS data, significant factors are identified that influence the decision to purchase farm inputs over the Internet and reasons for not adopting the Internet. Internet input purchasing farmers tend to be younger and more educated. Non-adopters that are more educated most likely cite Internet security concerns as their primary reason for not adopting.ARMS, Internet, Farming, e-commerce, Farm Management, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q12, R1,

Farming and the Internet: Reasons for Non-Use

Rural broadband infrastructure and service has received a significant amount of funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. These funds should increase broadband availability, but will broadband be used in rural areas and in particular by farmers? This paper uses Agricultural Resource Management Survey data to investigate why the majority of U.S. farmers choose not to use the Internet in their farm business. Although frequently cited by policymakers, concerns about inadequate Internet service or security actually account for a small percentage of responses. This research identifies targeted educational programs that focus on alleviating perceived barriers to Internet use.ARMS, farming, Internet, multinomial logit, non-use, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management,

The internet, E-commerce and older people: an actor-network approach to researching reasons for adoption and use

Many older people are discovering the Internet, and some are also making good use of electronic commerce and all that goes with it. Others, however, are not adopting these technologies. This paper questions why some older people adopt Internet technologies while others do not, and offers a research framework, based on actor-network theory, for investigating adoption of Internet technologies by older people. In this paper, innovation translation is used to illustrate how specific cases of adoption have occurred. Innovation translation presents a different view of innovation than the better known theory of innovation diffusion, but one that the authors argue is better suited for research in socio-technical situations like this

Implementing biosecurity measures on dairy farms in Ireland

peer-reviewedDairy farms in Ireland are expanding in preparation for a new era of unrestricted milk production with the elimination of the European Union (EU) production quotas in 2015. Countries experiencing a changing agricultural demographic, including farm expansion, can benefit from documenting the implementation of on-farm biosecurity. The objectives of this study were to document and describe influences on biosecurity practices and related opinions on dairy farms. A representative response rate of 64% was achieved to a nationwide telesurvey of farmers. A 20% discrepancy was found between self-declared and truly ‘closed’ herds indicating a lack of understanding of the closed herd concept. Although >72% of farmers surveyed considered biosecurity to be important, 53% stated that a lack of information might prevent them from improving their biosecurity. Logistic regression highlighted regional, age, and farm-size related differences in biosecurity practices and opinions towards its implementation. Farmers in the most dairy cattle dense region were three times more likely to quarantine purchased stock than were their equivalents in regions where dairy production was less intense (P = 0.012). Younger farmers in general were over twice as likely as middle-aged farmers to implement biosecurity guidelines (P = 0.026). The owners of large enterprises were almost five times more likely to join a voluntary animal health scheme (P = 0.003), and were over three times more likely to pay a premium price for health accredited animals (P = 0.02) than were those farming small holdings. The baseline data recorded in this survey will form the basis for more detailed sociological and demographic research which will facilitate the targeting of future training of the farming community in biosecurity

Factors Affecting Maize Producers Adoption of Forward Pricing in Price Risk Management: The Case of Vaalharts

Logistic regression is employed to analyse the factors which influence the decision of whether or not the respondent used forward pricing methods during the 2004/05 maize production season. Forward pricing methods include cash forward contracting and hedging with futures contracts and/or options, through the South African Futures Exchange (SAFEX). Based on the results, the use of forward pricing is associated with lower levels of risk aversion and higher levels of human capital. Factor analysis is employed to reduce the dimensionality of the personal reasons which help to interpret the underlying, common factor of the personal reasons why farmers are reluctant to use forward pricing methods. Three factors were extracted and were labelled “Lack of capacityâ€, “Distrust of the marketâ€, and “Bad experiencesâ€. The results from the factor analysis confirm the finding that farmers need higher levels of human capital to use forward pricing methods and that farmers do not believe that the forward pricing market is effective. Education should furthermore, focus more on the practical application of alternative forward pricing methods and not purely on the benefits of the use of forward pricing methods.Forward pricing, Logit, Factor analysis, Agricultural Finance, Risk and Uncertainty,

THE MARKET FOR E-COMMERCE SERVICES IN AGRICULTURE

We report results of a survey of 608 Ohio agribusinesses in 1999 and show them to be divided in their attitudes and acceptance of e-commerce. Half of the respondents report that their business has a web site, although many had taken a negative stance toward such a move. Nearly all say that the internet will significantly change their sector, and the majority of managers report that e-commerce has significantly affected the way they view their business.Marketing,

Market Opportunities and Challenges for Indian Organic Products

Organic agriculture offers trade opportunities for farmers in the developing and developed countries. This market of organic products is expected to grow globally in the coming years and high growth rates over the medium term (from 10-15 to 25-30 %) are expected (Yussefi and Willer, 2002). This organic market expansion makes it possible for farmers to reap the benefits of a trade with relatively high price premiums (Yussefi and Willer, 2002). However, this market is not very well known to most farmers, especially those living in the developing countries. Furthermore, information about it is not readily available to farmers in the developing countries. The absence of sufficient technical and market information and financial support also means that few farmers will risk changing their method of production. In developing countries it is therefore essential for major key players (e.g. NGOs, farmer organizations, traders, exporters etc.) that promote organic farming to have up-to-date information on the available opportunities (market requirements) and trends of the organic market. One example is India, a country with a huge number of small farmers who still use traditional methods and do farming with few agricultural inputs. NGOs that promote organic farming and other organizations support farmers in these aspects. An organic movement is now emerging in India on different levels (producer groups, trainers and advisors, certification bodies and processors and traders). So dissemination of information about the opportunities and challenges for Indian organic products on the domestic and international market is of fundamental concern in order to allow continued development of the organic agriculture movement in this country

Performance Results and Characteristics of Adopters of Genetically Engineered Soybeans in Delaware

Genetically engineered (GE) soybeans first became available to farmers in 1996. Despite the common questions regarding any new crop technology, the new seeds were rapidly adopted. This study examines the characteristics of adopters, as well as yield and weed control cost changes, using survey results from Delaware farmers at the start of the 2000 season. Duration analysis reveals that earlier-adopting farmers had larger farms and tended to use computers for financial management, while regression analysis shows significantly lower weed control costs and, to a lesser extent, higher yields for GE soybeans.Crop Production/Industries,

The Co-operative Model in Practice : International Perspectives

Published with the support of the Scottish Government and the Economic & Social Research CouncilPublisher PD

Understanding the motivations and barriers to adoption and effective use of connectivity technologies by SMEs in RRR Australia

Carrie-Ann Wilson studied connectivity technology adoption by rural, regional and remote (RRR) small and medium enterprises (SMEs). She found that unreliable connectivity negatively impacts participants' businesses, and that many have difficulties developing the connectivity literacy required to establish and maintain reliable connections. This is exacerbated by pervasive misinformation and misperception. Better support is needed to overcome these issues