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Innovation in agriculture ensures the wide-spread use of the latest, up-to-date technology. Such new technology is precision farming in crop production, which serves as a validation of the criteria of environmental and economic sustainability. The economic applicability of precision crop production depends on several factors.Among them the following aspects must be emphasized: the size of the farm, the characteristics of the production structure, the current input-output prices and their tendencies, the investment needed for transitioning to precision technology and its capital source, the level of professional knowledge and the managerial attitudes of the farm. I have examined the economic relations between potential savings in chemicals on EU level. It has been found that after switching to precision farming, the active ingredient use for fertilizers can be reduced by 340 thousand tons at the same expected yield level in an optimistic scenario in the EU-27, while the savings in pesticide use can be 30 thousand tons (calculating with the current dose-level). If approximately 30% of the crop producing and mixed farms over 16 ESU adopt this new technology, this will diminish environmental loads by up to 10-35%. The majority of farms characterized by greater output and size can be based on their own equipment but it might as well be presumed that smaller farms can turn to precision farming not based on their own investment. They can buy the technical service from providers, they can establish producer cooperation, for example in the frame of machinery rings. At a certain farm size and farming intensity precision crop production is a real, environmentally friendly farming strategy, with the help of which the farm can reach earnings that cover at least the economic conditions of simple reproduction.
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1. Introduction
It was over two decades ago when the technological
foundations for precision farming became available in
practice. Yet, it has not become as wide-spread as it was
expected. Other technological innovations, such as nozzles
suitable for spraying micro-drops of pesticides etc, rapidly
became widely-used, regardless of the extra costs or
sometimes even the investments they required.
Precision farming is a new farming strategy in crop
production which enables farmers to implement variable rate
applications, primarily in using chemicals. It provides
farmers with a possibility to grow crops more economically,
while the environmental load is also reduced. According to
Moore et al (1993), site-specific crop management is an
information- and technology-based farming system which is
aimed at identifying, analysing and handling the soil, spatial
and temporal variability for the purpose of reaching optimum
yield and agricultural sustainability and to protect the
environment. (Moore et al. 1993)
Precision farming makes it possible to treat the different
parts of the field separately with targeted active ingredients,
which results in a more rational and reduced application of
chemicals. It is based on the facts that the data of soil
examination enable farmers to plan variable rate fertiliser
application, while the data about pest presence, the level of
infection and its estimated development dynamics enable
them to make decisions regarding crop protection and the
dose of the active ingredient in the different lots. The
computer-operated agricultural machinery can release
fertilisers or pesticides in different amounts, while it can
measure the yield of each lot during harvest, which assists
the following planning period. It must be added, however,
that the technology can be used to its full potential only if
each participant of the system can and is willing to use it in
an appropriate way.
According to Wolf and Buttel (1996), in the ensuing
decades, precision farming will be a reforming tool for
agricultural production, the key to increasing its efficiency as
well as an abiotic factor that can reduce the extent of
environmental pollution. They highlight the duality of the
significance of this technology. It is not only the reforming
tool of people’s approach to agricultural production with its
chemical reducing ability, but also one of the basic factors of
efficient agriculture, retaining the present industry-like
farming structure, investments and certain managerial
structures and operational mechanisms. Furthermore,
precision farming is a real means of reducing environmental
damage, and it is a means of reducing risks on the level of
farmers. During crop production, yield uncertainty can be
Applied Studies in Agribusiness and Commerce – A P ST R AC T
Agroinform Publishing House, Budapest SC IENT I FIC PAPE R S
ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF AN AGRICULTURAL
INNOVATION – PRECISION CROP PRODUCTION
Katalin Takács-György
Károly Róbert College, Gyöngyös, Hungary
Abstract: Innovation in agriculture ensures the wide-spread use of the latest, up-to-date technology. Such new technology is precision farming
in crop production, which serves as a validation of the criteria of environmental and economic sustainability.
The economic applicability of precision crop production depends on several factors.Among them the following aspects must be emphasized:
the size of the farm, the characteristics of the production structure, the current input-output prices and their tendencies, the investment needed
for transitioning to precision technology and its capital source, the level of professional knowledge and the managerial attitudes of the farm.
I have examined the economic relations between potential savings in chemicals on EU level. It has been found that after switching to
precision farming, the active ingredient use for fertilizers can be reduced by 340 thousand tons at the same expected yield level in an
optimistic scenario in the EU-27, while the savings in pesticide use can be 30 thousand tons (calculating with the current dose-level). If
approximately 30% of the crop producing and mixed farms over 16 ESU adopt this new technology, this will diminish environmental loads
by up to 10-35%.
The majority of farms characterized by greater output and size can be based on their own equipment but it might as well be presumed that
smaller farms can turn to precision farming not based on their own investment. They can buy the technical service from providers, they can
establish producer cooperation, for example in the frame of machinery rings.
At a certain farm size and farming intensity precision crop production is a real, environmentally friendly farming strategy, with the help of
which the farm can reach earnings that cover at least the economic conditions of simple reproduction.
Keywords: farming, technology push, low speed of diffusion
52
reduced and the security of farmers’ incomes can be
increased if the technological elements are used and
combined properly, but not the incomes at every case
(Auernhammer 2001; Gandonou et al. 2004; Takács-György
2006; Hejmann – Lazányi, 2007; Chavas, 2008).
Neményi et al (2001) emphasise that site-specific farming
research goes far beyond the development of agricultural
activities. They reveal the general tendency aimed at
combining artificial (technological) and natural (biological,
ecological, etc.) information systems.
In what follows, I intend to look at the issue from the
point of view of innovation. For that reason, it is important to
clarify the notion of innovation. Innovation refers to the
process of applying knowledge (Oslo Manual 2006) The
process is not for itself, it is important to use its result in
practice – applied research. An innovation can be regarded
implemented when it has been launched (product innovation)
or when it has been applied during a production process
(process innovation). The process of the innovation basis
model is linear. Applied science (applied research) produces
new ideas and products by using basic scientific results
(basic research) called as science push line, which is
followed by the launch of the innovation, when market forces
take the leading role (market pull). (Arnold – Bell 2001) In
this respect, precision crop production as an agricultural
innovation belongs to the ’science push’ category. Other
authors call this type a demand-creating model (technology
push). (Pakucs – Papanek 2010).
Precision farming technology became part of crop
production in the United States of America in the 1990’s. In
1992, 3% of American farmers used yield mapping
combined with GPS (Lowenberg-DeBoer 1999), while in
1998, only 5% of them used some kind of a precision
technology device (McBride – Daberkow 2003). However,
precision soil sampling techniques and variable rate fertiliser
applicators spread rapidly. In 1996, 29%, in 1997 33%, while
in 1999 43% of American farmers used GPS-based soil
sampling methods. While in 1996, only 13% of the farmers
combined precision fertiliser release with variable rate
applicators, this ratio was estimated to be 37% in 1999
(Akridge – Whipker 1997). In EU-member states, the
spreading process started later and its extent also remained
below the level of proliferation in the United States.
Presumably, one of the reasons is the difference in farm size.
According to a survey carried out in 2002, slightly more than
1% of Danish farms (400) apply this technology, on an
average of 200 hectares, and only 10 farms reported to apply
more than one precision element. (Pedersen et al. 2010)
Adaptation refers to the diffusion and proliferation of the
innovation. Despite its 20 years, precision technology can
still be categorised as being in the early stage of launch.
Although it has already left the stage of innovations, its
development is still being carried out, i.e. there are still R&D
activities connected to that technology. Lack of capital as one
of the main elements hindering innovation and its diffusion
cannot be disregarded (Pakucs – Papanek 2010). Otherwise
innovation is a tool for being adaptive to the new challenges.
(Marselek et al. 2008; Buday-Sántha, 2009) Another
important factor in spreading innovations is the role of mass
communication channels since potential appliers can
primarily be informed about the presence and details of an
innovation through these channels. After the initial phase,
however, the role of interpersonal communication channels
increases (e.g. discussions between experts) as individuals
base their decisions mainly on the information coming
through these channels (Csizmadia 2009). We must also bear
in mind the IT skills, however basic they are, required from
the appliers of this technology. It must be underlined the
important role of extension services and communications,
the communication of economic and other usefulness of
novelty in the diffusion of precision technology. (Griffin et
al., 2004; Kalmár 2010; Kutter et al., 2011) The causes of the
slow spreading process also include lack of education and
expertise (Attanandana et al., 2007; Pecze 2008; Takács
2008; Magda et al. 2008; Kalmár 2010; Nábrádi 2010).
Moreover, the new technology requires high-level
managerial skills, accuracy as well as relatively high extra
investment costs and the lack of proof for the cost-efficiency
of the technology (Lencsés – Takácsné 2010). Accuracy is
needed during proper application of precision technology,
but often this becomes one obstructive factor of using it in
farms. (Arnholt et al., 2001; Sinka, 2009)
The amount of chemicals saved by precision technology
can be regarded as chemicals not required and not taken by
crops and also not released into the environment, thus
playing an important role in reducing environmental load.
The positive impacts of the technology are unarguable both
on the level of farms and on the level of the national economy
as several earlier studies found cost-effectiveness in farms,
however, their detailed discussion cannot be included in this
paper. (Goldwin et al. 2003; Swinton 2005; Dillon –
Gandonou 2007; Chavas 2008; Takács-György 2008;
Lencsés 2009; Lencsés – Takács-György 2009) The reduction
of environmental burden can be considered as other positive
impact. (Chilinsky et al., 1998; Pretty et al., 2000; Szûcs et
al., 2004; Jongeneel et al., 2008; Takács et al., 2008; Magda
et al., 2009)
The objectives of this paper are as follows:
examination of the macroeconomic relations of
precision crop production as an agricultural
innovation and the modelling of active ingredient
savings in case of applying this technology;
revealing the causes of its slow proliferation.
2. Material and methods
During my research, I had the following presumption: in
EU-25 countries, the transition of a certain number of farms
to precision crop production would result in saving a
significant amount of active ingredients, particularly in the
field of crop protection, which would reduce the
environmental load as well. Using scenarios, I modelled the
changes in the amount of the fertiliser and pesticide applied
Katalin Takács-György
53
presuming crop producing and mixed farms adopt the new
technology to different extents. The statistical data concerning
farm structure were collected by EUROSTAT and the Central
Statistical Office of Hungary, while those concerning chemical
use were collected by the OECD (Table 1).
The European Size Unit, which categorises farms
according to their profitability (SGM output) and
distinguishes 6 categories, served as a basis for identifying
the farm size where the extra investment of adopting
precision farming technologies pays off. Based on their size
and farming standards, crop producing farms (cereals and
other field crops, as well as fodder production) over 100 ESU
were presumed to be able to adopt precision farming with the
help of their own financial resources. I also presumed that
farms of 16-40 and 40-100 ESU would be able to adopt
precision crop production with the help of machinery rings
(Takács 2000). In the EU, there are 240 thousand farms of
16-40 ESU, accounting for 4.2 million hectares of land. The
number of farms of 40-100 ESU is 139 thousand, accounting
for 5.9 million hectares, whereas the number of farms over
100 ESU is 77 thousand, and they account for 11.3 million
hectares of land. The basis of the calculations at national
level was also the above categorisation.
The ratio of farms deciding on adopting the new
technology is 15, 25 and 40%, in case of pessimistic,
indifferent and optimistic scenarios, respectively.
Savings for fertilisers are 5, 10 and 20%, while for
pesticides they are 25, 35 and 50%.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. The diffusion of precision crop production – how
it looks like and the reasons for its slow speed
Based on Rogers’ (1960) typology of the diffusion of
innovations, precision crop production as an agricultural
innovation can be described as follows, including some of
the reasons for its slow diffusion in practice:
1. In the launch phase, it had an advantage over the
technological elements widely used in farming, which
could have made rapid diffusion possible.
2. Precision technology is less compatible, as farmers
greatly vary in knowledge, skills and attitude to
innovations, as well as in farm size and financial
background. Due to lack of counselling support, the
process of proliferation of the new technology is
slower. In this respect, the Hungarian practice has
several positive features, such as the successors of the
production systems set up several decades ago, and
the counselling networks.
3. The application of precision crop production must be
considered from two points of view. Although the
adoption of the element of the technology is not
complex, it requires far more attention, a wider
information base and also more accurate work.
4. The key figures of letting farmers learn more and test
the new technology are the participants of agriculture
and providers. (There are several specialist, scientific
shows and presentations organised annually in order
to achieve wider diffusion.)
5. Some of the benefits of precision technology can be
observed directly (material saving, improved cost-
effectiveness, yield growth), similarly to extra costs
and investments. However, its indirect impacts, such
as the reduction of the environmental load and
increased food safety, are less obvious. As long as the
positive impacts of the new technology are not
obvious and measurable for farmers, and the
perceived risk of its introduction is high, the
technology will diffuse slowly, even when the
financial background is sufficient. (This phenomenon
can be observed both in the United States of America
and in Europe.)
The most important factor that can speed up the diffusion
and wider application of the innovation is its profitability
(Samuelson – Nordhaus 1985). Others emphasise the effects
of demand (van Rosenberg 1976), the significant role of
R&D (Freeman, 1974; Szûcs et al., 2010), or the role of the
state (Nelson 1982; Késmárky-Gally 2008; Pakucs – Papanek
2010). According to some economic theories, demand-
creating innovations can be expected to diffuse if using the
limited resources with the new technology results in
economic efficiency. The diffusion of precision crop
production and its wide-spread application in practice is an
economic decision from farmers side when they have to
invest their capital. Thus, it is not sufficient to examine the
changes in the variable costs incurred by production but it is
also important to consider the changes in product prices as
well as the rate of interest of credits so that farmers can make
a reasonable decision (Swinton – Lowenberg-deBoer 2001).
The dynamic spreading of the technology can be expected in
countries where there is a scarcity of human labour, the
amount of arable land is not limited, the selling prices are
high, while the rate of credit interest is low.
Husti (2008) states that innovation is not generated by
farmers in Hungarian agriculture, which results from the
polarised and highly fragmented farm structure, the shortage
Economic aspects of an agricultural innovation – precision crop production
Table 1. Fertiliser and Pesticide-Herbicide Application, 2007
Source: OECD in Figures 2008
Country Total arable land Fertiliser Pesticides
thousand ha kg/ha arable land
OECD 350,960 22 0.70
EU-15 324,300 60 2.3
Hungary 9,300 58 1.7
Netherlands 4,200 134 4.1
Germany 35,700 105 1.7
54 Katalin Takács-György
of capital and the lack of entrepreneurial
affinity. The majority of agricultural
businesses are characterised by a survival or
sometimes consolidation strategy, which does
not contribute to investment in the future of
production. From technical size to implement
all the necessary machines and other facilities
the farmers can buy the technical service from
providers, they can establish producer
cooperation, for example in the frame of
machinery rings. (Takács 2000; Baranyai –
Takács 2007; Baranyai – Takács 2008)
In my opinion, it is of great importance to
provide information for farmers, particularly
information on the economic benefits of the
technology.
3.2 The environmental and economic
benefits of precision crop
production
Modelling the savings of active
ingredients of fertilisers and those of costs in
case of switching to precision technology
showed the following results: on the level of
EU-25 states, the widespread application of
precision farming in crop production may
save 959-10082 t of fertiliser active
ingredient, amounting to 327.1-1308.3m,
while the costs of pesticides saved may range
between 1674.1-3348.1m (using 2006 price
levels) (Tables 2 and 3).
Primarily, precision nutrient supply may
be the method of using the yield potential of
the field, thus it is not a constant amount, and
can even mean higher fertiliser application in
certain cases. Naturally, there is considerable
fertiliser saving when planning the
consolidated field-level yield. Precision
farming has an even greater significance in
reducing the amount of pesticide used.
One of the main advantages of precision
crop production is that site-specific
treatment of lands with pesticides or
herbicides may save a considerable amount
of chemicals when only a small proportion
of the land is infected. The estimated
amount of pesticides saved in this way on
the level of EU-25 countries is 5.7-11.4
thousand tons in case 15% of farms apply
precision farming, 9.5-13.1 thousand tons in
case 25% of them introduce it, while in the
most favourable case it is 15.2-30.4
thousand tons (Table 4).
Considering the role of agricultural
production in ensuring food safety, this
Table 2. Estimated savings in fertiliser application of farms introducing precision farming (EU-25)
Source: Author’s calculations
Category Farms applying precision technology
15% 25% 40%
16-100 ESU
Land using precision technology (ha) 103,559 172,598 276,157
Savings in fertiliser
active ingredient (t)
5% 535 892 1,426
10% 1,070 1,783 2,853
20% 2,140 3,566 5,706
>= 100
Land using precision technology (ha) 132,353 220,588 352,941
Savings in fertiliser
active ingredient (t)
5% 424 1,136 1,094
10% 821 2,272 2,188
20% 1,641 4,543 4,376
Total
Total size of land using precision
technology (ha) 235,912 393,186 629,098
Total savings in fertiliser
active ingredient (t)
5% 959 2,027 2,521
10% 1,890 4,055 5,041
20% 3,781 8,109 10,082
Table 3. Savings in fertiliser costs
(million euros)
Source: FADN data base, edited by author
Country 16-100 ESU farm group >100 ESU farm group
5% 10% 20% 5% 10% 20%
Denmark 2.398 4.796 9.592 3.654 7.309 14.617
United Kingdom 9.982 19.964 39.928 25.585 51.169 102.338
France 48.870 97.739 195.478 50.547 101.094 202.189
Netherlands 1.349 2.698 5.397 2.052 4.105 8.210
Poland 12.927 25.855 51.709 9.185 18.369 36.738
Hungary 3.641 7.282 14.563 4.913 9.826 19.652
Germany 19.362 38.724 77.448 40.025 80.049 160.099
EU-25 156.259 312.519 625.037 170.815 341.629 683.258
Table 4. Estimated savings in pesticide application of farms introducing precision farming (EU-25)
Source: Author’s calculations
Category Farms applying precision technology
15% 25% 40%
16-100
ESU
Land using precision technology (ha) 5,086,330 8,477,217 13,563,547
Savings in pesticide
(t)
25% 2,925 3,574 7,799
30% 4,095 3,950 10,919
50% 5,849 4,900 15,598
>= 100
Land using precision technology (ha) 4,818,598 8,030,997 12,849,595
Savings in pesticide
(t)
25% 2,771 4,618 7,389
30% 4,095 6,465 10,344
50% 8,190 9,235 14,777
Total
Total land using precision technology
(ha) 9,904,928 16,508,214 26,413,142
Total savings in
pesticide (t)
25% 5,695 8,192 15,188
30% 8,190 10,415 21,263
50% 11,391 14,135 30,375
55
amount cannot be ignored. It has great importance since the
same effects of crop protection can be achieved with a
significantly lower level of environmental load if precision
crop production is applied (Table 5).
As macro-level modelling calculations support, precision
crop production plays an determining role in reducing the
environmental load, along with the other agricultural
technological innovations. However, precision farming has a
greater importance in the reduction of the amount of
pesticides used. On the level of farms, site-specific crop
production leads to the reduction of material costs, as the
necessary pesticide amount is 8-10% lower (calculated in
active ingredient) than in case of traditional treatment
Savings in pesticide use affect not only costs but also
competitiveness, and have great importance in environmental
protection as well.
In the above situation, individual and societal benefits
coincide, thus serving sustainability. In agriculture, the
diffusion of every technological procedure that has a
positive impact on conserving or re-producing natural
resources and can be implemented in a profitable way on
the level of farms (economic efficiency) supports
sustainability. Furthermore, the proliferation of precision
crop production promotes societal sustainability, together
with the reduction of environmental pollution and the
production of foods, industrial raw materials and energy
plantations.
Apart from economic arguments, precision technology
can be supported by other factors as well. First and
foremost, we must refer to its role in the reduction of the
environmental load. However, it is not an important
motivating factor for farmers, unlike for those who consider
the transition to organic farming. Nevertheless, precision
farming must be given outstanding attention in sustainable
agriculture in developed countries. It must, however, be
examined how it can be a real alternative in an economic
respect. As it requires extra investment, expertise and
accuracy, and its risks depend on a lot of unknown factors,
farmers will not apply precision farming exclusively for
’philosophical’ reasons.
4. Acknowledgements
The study has been written with the
support of the project GAK ALAP1-
00138/2004 and the assistance of Károly
Róbert College.
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Economic aspects of an agricultural innovation – precision crop production
... Precision Farming offers the opportunity to deal with site-specific differences within a field in order to increase profitability und to reduce environmental impact (Reichardt, 2007) At a certain farm size and farming intensity precision crop production is a real, environmentally friendly farming strategy, with the help of which the farm can reach earnings that cover at least the economic conditions of simple reproduction (Katalin, 2012). In pig farming, animal weight, daily increases, feed conversion and composition, water and feed consumption, sow performance, animal losses and climate data are digitally recorded. ...
... The inability to obtain soil characteristics rapidly and inexpensively remains one of the biggest limitations of precision agriculture (Adamchuk et al. 2004 In agriculture, the diffusion of every technological procedure that has positive impact on conserving or re-producing natural resources and can be implemented in a profitable way on the level of farms (economic efficiency) supports sustainability. (Katalin, 2012) Katalin, (2012) cited by Moore et al (1993) to have said; site-specific crop management is an information-and technology-based farming system which is aimed at identifying, analysing and handling the soil, spatial and temporal variability for the purpose of reaching optimum yield and agricultural sustainability and to protect the environment and that, precision farming makes it possible to treat the different parts of the field separately with targeted active ingredients, which results in a more rational and reduced application of chemicals. It is based on the facts that the data of soil examination enable farmers to plan variable rate fertilizer application, while the data about pest presence, the level of infection and its estimated development dynamics enable them to make decisions regarding crop protection and the dose of the active ingredient in the different lots. ...
... The computer-operated agricultural machinery can release fertilizers or pesticides in different amounts, while it can measure the yield of each lot during harvest, which assists the following planning period. cited by (Katalin, 2012) 2.9 Factors influencing the Adoption rate of precision farming. ...
Thesis
Global food security could be in jeopardy, due to mounting pressures on natural resources and to climate change, both of which threaten the sustainability of food systems at large. Planetary boundaries may well be surpassed, if current trends continue.(FAO 2017) Agricultural environmental programs are an important instrument for maintaining biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems.(BMELV 2010) Excessive fertilizer use can contribute to problems of eutrophication, acidification, climate change and the toxic contamination of soil, water and air. Lack of fertilizer application may cause the degradation of soil fertility.(Hayati, Ranjbar, and Karami 2011) Agricultural production systems need to focus more on the effective conservation and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services in order to address the twin objectives of environmental sustainability and food security.(FAO 2011) Precision agriculture is an information-based, decision-making agricultural System designed to improve the agricultural process by precisely managing each step to ensure maximum agricultural production and continued sustainability of the natural resources.(Tayari, Jamshid, and Goodarzi 2015) Precision agriculture allows a producer to gain detailed information on specific portions of the fields. This allows an increase in production potential, decreases in agricultural fertilizers, and decreases in harmful environmental effects of over applied herbicides and fertilizers.(Thabit 2012) A case study was conducted in Baden-Württemberg to describe the collective meaning of precision farming, assess its economic efficiency and sustainability, ecological welfares, societal impacts, its status in addressing the twin global targets of environmental sustainability and food security, and hindrances associated it, as well to describe what should be done to address the hindrances. Qualitative data were gathered from three target groups (experts in P.F, farmers who use P.F techniques, and farmers who do not use the technology) using three sets of questionnaires including open and closed ended questions. In addition to the questionnaires, a site survey and open discussion were used, together with intensive literature review. The data was analyzed using MAXQDA 2018, software. All manuscripts were imported to the software and answers were coded. Quotations were exported into excel sheet and all duplicate retorts were scrutinized and eliminated, the distinct facts addressing all the key objectives were re-coded and final analysis was made using the analysis tool of the software and the results were displayed in bar graphs and pie charts. At the end, significant findings were made and all objectives were addressed. The major findings of this study include; Precision Farming/Agriculture also called “Agriculture 4.0” or Digital Farming is; doing the Right thing on the Right place, at the Right time, in the Right way to Increase output, Increase ecological/environmental welfare, Increase economic efficiency and Increase sustainability which then leads to achieving the regional, national, and global targets of food security and environmental sustainability. However, the P.F system appears complicated for farmers as it involves high technicalities and requires more skilled personnel and its adoption is expensive to most farmers yet, those who are able to adopt it becomes satisfied and realizes great benefits from it hence, was found to be sustainable after solving the start-up and technical problems farmers are facing and it stand the high chance to be the future of agriculture not only in the western world, but in the globe as technologies evolve, both small and large, temperate and tropic farms will get technologies best fit to the condition at each condition.
... Modern agriculture operates on the same principles as any business -a permanent desire to reduce the cost of a unit of production and increase productivity per unit of resources expended (Katalin, 2012;Chandrakant et al., 2019). The tools used in agriculture today are still relevant, but their 15 (1) 2024 www.jpis.az ...
Article
Intelligent agricultural applications are gaining momentum, promising 24-hour monitoring of soil and crops, equipment productivity, storage conditions, plant and animal behaviour, energy consumption levels, etc. Combining different sensors, connected devices and agricultural facilities, IoT platform optimizes the development of intelligent agricultural systems and provides maximum flexibility, for example, for individual architectural design. This is a huge advantage for companies or farmers that plan to steadily expand their ecosystem of the IoT devices and over time introduce new intelligent agricultural solutions. Managing several solutions and upgrading them on a single IoT platform ensures rational operation and predictable results. One of such intellectual solutions is offered in this article on the example of the project "Smart greenhouse" using wireless IoT technologies.
... The environmental benefits are difficult to measure but the risk to environmental pollution can be clearly reduced since the number of chemicals saved can be seen as chemicals are not required and not taken by crops and also not released into the environment. According to the state of the art, not only the economic impact of technology applied to agriculture can be found in several studies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] , but also the reduction of environmental impact [8][9][10] . For example, the report was presented by O'Connor et al. [11] indicates that farmers in the United States have relied so much on GPS. ...
Article
Full-text available
Traditional agriculture is facing several challenges worldwide such as increased population growth, rapid forestry and urbanization, resource scarcity, climate change, environmental pollution, competition among different markets. Hence, farmers need to improve productivity in order to maintain the output level. This study attempted to evaluate the benefits of using Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning in precision agriculture through a series of real measurements carried out when farming cereals. All farming management actions involved in the cereal crop process (raise fallow, plow, sow, fertilize, mow, and harvest) have been done using an automatic guidance system that has reduced costs. A reduction of 20% has been quantified in the fuel, the amount of fertilizer, the labor costs and the hours of work. Consequently, the environmental impact has been also reduced. An inexpensive system consisting of a reference base station near the field and a mobile unit mounted on the test vehicle has been installed in order to increase the benefits in cereal crops. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) systems including Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou have been used in the analysis. This research serves as a practical guide to implementing a low-cost guidance system to achieve best management practice. © 2021, Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering. All rights reserved.
... bizonyos megközelítésekben alapvetően a technológiai változás teszi lehetővé az elmozdulást a fenntarthatóság irányába. Erre példa a mezőgazdasági termelésben napjainkban gyakorlattá váló precíziós növénytermesztés, ami a helyspecifikus kezelések révén jelentős mértékben csökkenti a kijuttatott kemikáliát, megteremtve ezzel egyrészt a környezeti, másrészt részlegesen az ökonómiai (üzemgazdasági) fenntarthatóságot (Auernhammer, 2001;Szabó -Katonáné, 2008;Takács-György, 2012;Takács-György et al., 2013). ...
... Ez azt jelenti, hogy a termelés során a hozambizonytalanság csökkenthető és a gazdálkodók jövedelmének bizton sága növelhető abban az esetben, ha a technológiai elemeket használják és helyesen alkalmazzák. önmagá ban viszont ez nem minden esetben jelenti a jö ve delem növekedését (Takács- György, 2012). ...
Article
Full-text available
Precision farming has an array of technological equipment, elements and complete systems which are in themselves suitable to create conditions for efficient farming, to reduce environmental load and to provide farmers with optimal return on their investment. On the leading edge of my research is to introduce the economic benefits of precision logistic optimization with satellite navigation in wheat and maize harvesting. My hypothesis, claiming that a well-organized system can increase the number of working days by 4 days per harvesting season in maize, and 2 days in wheat crop. If the farmer makes contract works for harvesting it means for him 2 or 4 days extra work by using the precision farming technologies with satellite communication system. Overall, as pertains to wheat and maize harvest seasons, yearly revenues can be increased by 7 760 000 HUF. I would like to introduce that the precision technologies increase combine costs by merely 5.4% which can be return in the first year of using.
... and applied appropriately; however, all this in itself cannot guarantee revenue growth without exception (Takács-György 2012). ...
Article
Full-text available
Today agricultural practice is faced with a paradigm shift. In terms of natural resources, the World’s growing population calls for rational management and environment-conscious behaviour. Precision farming may provide a solution for the above mentioned criteria and problems. It has an array of technological equipment, elements and complete systems which are in themselves suitable to create conditions for efficient farming, to reduce environmental load and to provide farmers with optimal return on their investment. Agricultural production has started to focus mainly on efficient crop production and machine operation. Due to this trend, machinery exploitation emerges as a secondary priority for agricultural enterprises. The underlying reason behind this shift is primarily the rise of machinery operation costs. Efficient machinery operation can provide farmers with a solution to reduce their expenditure and through better logistical organization they can obtain extra returns. On the leading edge of my research is to introduce, quantitatively underpin and to justify the application of precision technologies. Our fundamental research methods rely on scenarios and economic calculations.
... Based onRogers' (1962) [26] typology of the diffusion of innovations, precision crop production as an agricultural innovation can be described as follows, including some of the reasons for its slow diffusion in practice[27][28]:1. In the launch phase, it had an advantage over the technological elements widely used in farming, which could have made rapid diffusion possible. ...
Article
Full-text available
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 analysis was used for this examination. According to the opinion of the "user" group of farmers, the highest cost savings occurred in fertilizer and herbicide costs.
Chapter
Full-text available
Globally, the use of Agrochemicals or Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are being used to boost agricultural production and soil management. They are valued for their ability to condition the soil, add nutrients, as acidifiers, control disease, and pests, and generally enhance agricultural productivity and safety. However, recent studies have reported the adverse effects of these agrochemicals on the soil, plants, and animals consuming such contaminated plants. This has generated public health issues and environmental concerns, especially for the farmers. The World Health Organization has raised concern about the effect on the farmers, as the issues of poor application methods and timing, linger. Furthermore, the use of alternative agro-inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides as a substitute for conventional agrochemicals has been encouraged. Biological substances with fewer safety risks and are easily biodegradable (eco-friendly), pose less threat to the environment compared to conventional agrochemicals. Biopesticides can be made from extracts of plants—corn gluten, black pepper, and garlic compounds; naturally occurring insect hormones; and microbial organisms such as bacteria and fungi. Genetically improved plants also serve as biopesticides to certain pests. Biofertilizers can be produced from many microbial taxa including beneficial bacteria and fungi. However, substituting conventional agrochemicals with biological fertilizers and pesticides has not been fully achieved; reasons given are lack of knowledge about their availability; lack of quality information on possible alternatives; ecological effects; and possible adoption; usage (quantity) are all constraints to completely substitute. Hence this review will elaborate on all these with an emphasis on sustainable environment and ecosystem services.KeywordsAnimal biodiversityPlant biodiversitySustainabilityBiopesticidesBiofertilizersHuman health
Article
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Introduction Farming in most developing nations is still largely agrarian. Hence, ensuring high productivity among farmers requires that they must be both physically and psychologically healthy. The current study aimed at investigating the role of personality types and some demographic factors on psychological distress in farmers. Methods The study employed a cross-sectional survey design of 301 farmers (male = 193, female = 107; age range = 17 – 74; M = 45.6 SD = 11.5) sampled purposively and conveniently from three major farm settlements in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Data were analyzed using multiple regression stratified by educational status. Results Findings revealed that high neuroticism and low family income predicted psychological distress in less-educated farmers but not among more educated counterparts. Conclusion Outcomes imply that less-educated farmers may be vulnerable to psychological distress due to personality disposition and economic factors. Increasing the level of literacy among farmers may wane the negative impact of neuroticism and low income on emotional wellness.
Article
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The aim of the paper is to present a conceptual framework from which to develop an appropriate innovation policy in African countries. Particular emphasis is placed on agricultural innovation, their role in stimulating agribusiness and the overall development of the African continent. Increasing food production and bioenergy, improving agricultural economics, African farmers' incomes, reducing poverty and adapting to climate change are challenges that can be addressed or mitigated by innovations in the agricultural sector. Africa's agriculture is a highly unproductive sector as a result of lack of appropriate innovative technologies, credit, infrastructure, lack of knowledge, information and skills. Agricultural innovations in African countries relate to the invention of insecticides, resistant varieties, fertilizers, irrigation pumps, genetic programs, sustainable agricultural practices, etc. Across Africa, farmers are embracing "climate-smart" innovations. An example of the response to climate change is the raising of 200 million new trees. African countries need to improve educational system performance, science and technology, institutions, increase financial and human investment to build local technology capabilities and learn from the experiences of other innovative regions. Although most African countries have made significant progress in terms of agricultural innovation, the results are still not quite satisfactory.
Article
precision farming - besides other aspects - enables the reduction of use of chemical substances in crop production while decreases Fanning risks, contributes to specific field-cropplant applications, makes production processes more plannable and increases profitability. The latter, however, can be realised on farm level only under well-determined economic conditions. The objective of the Study is to examine the optimal farming, size of crop producing farms, when the development of own precision farming equipment is managable and the farm can become self-financing with different production structure. The Study also makes recommendations for forms of co-operation. In addition to application of hired machine work, the machine clubs, machine co-operatives can offer solutions for small-scale farms, so that similarly to precision crop production they can apply the same environmentally friendly and efficient technology in economic sense.
Article
A hagyományos mezőgazdasági termelés negatív hatásainak kiküszöbölése ér-dekében az Európai Unió országaiban az utóbbi évtizedben egyre fontosabbá vált a multifunkcionális mezőgazdaság. Ahhoz, hogy a vidékfejlesztés, a környezetgaz-dálkodás az agrárgazdaság integrált részévé váljék, a gazdasági gyakorlatnak szá-mos területen szükséges változtatni: merőben új módszerek alkalmazása, a koráb-ban használt vagy meglévő technológiák megújítása, mások által már kipróbált eljá-rások adaptálása, mind-mind egy-egy lehetőséget kínál a jól működő, többfunkciós mezőgazdasághoz. Mindezen okok mérlegelése után döntött úgy az Agárdi Farm Kft., hogy átáll a ha-gyományos gazdálkodásról a precíziós növénytermelésre. A precíziós növényterme-lési technológia nem más, mint a gazdaságosság fokozására irányuló olyan törek-vés, amely számol a környezetvédelem és a környezetkímélő gazdálkodás igényei-vel. Mindez több ponton is találkozik az agrár-környezetgazdálkodási programmal, amit éppen ezért a cég nem kötelezettségként, hanem versenyképessége megőrzésé-nek és növelésének igen fontos tényezőjeként fog fel. Ez kitörési pont lehet a magyar mezőgazdaságban, mert alkalmazásával akár 40-50 százalékkal csökkenthető a nö-vényvédő szerek felhasználása, ami pozitív externáliaként és költségcsökkentőként jelenik meg.
Article
The main objective of this presentation is to systemise the present innovation tasks of the Hungarian agriculture, especially focusing on the SMS’s. I prepared and use some models to determine the development tasks. Let me introduce three models out of them. • The general model of agricultural innovation demonstrates clearly the connecting and depending works to do. It shows that the innovation part-works can be systematised into two integrating umbrellas. These are marketing and knowledge. • The model about the substance of technical development shows that technical development serving agricultural production has got a particular bridging role between the production and the previous innovation phases by integrating several factors at the same time. • The model of adaptive innovation shows the special possibilities and tasks for developing of the small and medium size enterprises (SMS’s).
Article
Precision farming makes use of information technologies in agriculture. With the satellite positioning system and electronic communication standards, position and time may be integrated into all procedures connected to farming. Today, precision farming is primarily geared towards site-specific application of fertilisers with the resulting cost advantages being quite small. Thus, precision farming will likely gain in importance only when viable additional benefits, such as reduced environmental burdens and increased flow of information, are recognised and evaluated and become part of the reward itself.
Article
Precision farming (PF) and site-specific input application based on GPS has been a management tool and option for arable farmers for about 10 years. About 400 Danish farmers have already adopted some PF practices on their farms. This adoption and the technical and economic perspectives of PF have been studied in two mail surveys, personal interviews and focus groups with farmers, advisers and experts. Farmers and stakeholders are in general optimistic about the future perspectives of these high-technology systems despite the difficulties in showing the economic and environmental gains. Lack of compatibility between different technical systems is however mentioned as a barrier for adoption.
Book
Getting an innovation adopted is difficult; a common problem is increasing the rate of its diffusion. Diffusion is the communication of an innovation through certain channels over time among members of a social system. It is a communication whose messages are concerned with new ideas; it is a process where participants create and share information to achieve a mutual understanding. Initial chapters of the book discuss the history of diffusion research, some major criticisms of diffusion research, and the meta-research procedures used in the book. This text is the third edition of this well-respected work. The first edition was published in 1962, and the fifth edition in 2003. The book's theoretical framework relies on the concepts of information and uncertainty. Uncertainty is the degree to which alternatives are perceived with respect to an event and the relative probabilities of these alternatives; uncertainty implies a lack of predictability and motivates an individual to seek information. A technological innovation embodies information, thus reducing uncertainty. Information affects uncertainty in a situation where a choice exists among alternatives; information about a technological innovation can be software information or innovation-evaluation information. An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or an other unit of adoption; innovation presents an individual or organization with a new alternative(s) or new means of solving problems. Whether new alternatives are superior is not precisely known by problem solvers. Thus people seek new information. Information about new ideas is exchanged through a process of convergence involving interpersonal networks. Thus, diffusion of innovations is a social process that communicates perceived information about a new idea; it produces an alteration in the structure and function of a social system, producing social consequences. Diffusion has four elements: (1) an innovation that is perceived as new, (2) communication channels, (3) time, and (4) a social system (members jointly solving to accomplish a common goal). Diffusion systems can be centralized or decentralized. The innovation-development process has five steps passing from recognition of a need, through R&D, commercialization, diffusions and adoption, to consequences. Time enters the diffusion process in three ways: (1) innovation-decision process, (2) innovativeness, and (3) rate of the innovation's adoption. The innovation-decision process is an information-seeking and information-processing activity that motivates an individual to reduce uncertainty about the (dis)advantages of the innovation. There are five steps in the process: (1) knowledge for an adoption/rejection/implementation decision; (2) persuasion to form an attitude, (3) decision, (4) implementation, and (5) confirmation (reinforcement or rejection). Innovations can also be re-invented (changed or modified) by the user. The innovation-decision period is the time required to pass through the innovation-decision process. Rates of adoption of an innovation depend on (and can be predicted by) how its characteristics are perceived in terms of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. The diffusion effect is the increasing, cumulative pressure from interpersonal networks to adopt (or reject) an innovation. Overadoption is an innovation's adoption when experts suggest its rejection. Diffusion networks convey innovation-evaluation information to decrease uncertainty about an idea's use. The heart of the diffusion process is the modeling and imitation by potential adopters of their network partners who have adopted already. Change agents influence innovation decisions in a direction deemed desirable. Opinion leadership is the degree individuals influence others' attitudes