THE ROLE AND POTENTIAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5937/ekoPolj1402471MKeywords:
Information and communication technologies, agriculture improvement, agribusiness electronic commerce.Abstract
The agro-industrial sector in developing countriesis faced with challenges, such as requirement for increase of food production and yield and creation of opportunity for employment of rural and poor population. In addition, the agricultural sector is influenced by global factors and fast changes. These facts indicate that there is great need for information and information technologies (IT), which can be used to cope with the challenges and changes and to improve agricultural production and marketing. However, the potential of IT is not fully utilized in agriculture. Implementation of IT in agricultural sector and rural areas is relatively slow in comparison to the other sectors of the economy where contemporary IT has been implemented at high speed. The aim of the paper is to analyze role, potential and contribution of IT in agribusiness and to explain opportunities for use of IT in many fields of agricultural sector. Our findings are based on economic theory and available literature, and they suggest that IT has great potential for supporting farmers and the other stakeholders in improvement of efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of agriculture. However, the stakeholders have to cope with many limitations and problems in IT implementation and use.
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References
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3. Cecchini, S., Scott, C. (2003): Can Information and Communications Technology Applications Contribute to Poverty Reduction? Lessons from Rural India, Information Technology for Development, Vol. 10, Issue 2, pp. 73-84.
4. Cloete, E., Doens, M. (2008): B2B E-marketplace Adoption in South African Agriculture, Information Technology for Development, Vol. 14, Issue 3, pp. 184-196.
5. Courtright, C. (2004): Which Lessons Are Learned? Best Practices and World Bank Rural Telecommunications Policy, Information Society, Vol. 20, Issue 5, pp. 345-356.
6. Díaz, A. A. E., Urquhart, C. (2009): The value of Extended Networks: Social Capital in an ICT Intervention in Rural Peru, Information Technology for Development, Vol. 15, Issue 2, pp. 108-132.
7. Diekmann, F., Roe, B. E., Batte, M. T. (2008): Tractors on eBay: Differences between Internet and In-Person Auctions, The American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 90, Issue 2, pp. 306-320.
8. Gakuru, M., Winters, K., Stepman, F. (2009): Innovative Farmer Advisory Services Using ICT, Proceedings of IST-Africa 2009 Conference, P. Cunningham, M. Cunningham (Eds.) IIMC International Information Management Corporation, Available at: http://ist-africa.org/Conference2009/outbox/ISTAfrica_Paper_ref_85_doc_2692.pdf
9. Gorla, N. (2009): A Survey of Rural e-Government Projects in India: Status and Benefts, Information Technology for Development, Vol. 15, Issue 1, pp. 52-58.
10.Henderson, J. R., Akridge, J. T., Dooley, F. J. (2006): Internet and e-Commerce Use by Agribusiness Firms: 2004, Journal of Agribusiness, Vol. 24, Issue 1, pp. 17-39.
11. Kaaya, J. (1999): Role of Information Technology in Agriculture, Proceedings of FoA Conference, Vol. 4, pp. 315-328.
12.Kazlauskiene, N., Meyers, W. H., Financing Rural Development in Central and Eastern Europe: Opportunities and Constraints, Available at: http://portal.zzbaco.com/mojo_baco/Data/Sites/1/docs/mono/EAAE/A/17%20SA%20Kazlauskiene_Natalija.pdf
13.Manouselis, N., Konstantas, A., Palavitsinis, N., Costopoulou, C., Sideridis, A.B. (2009): A Survey of Greek Agricultural E-Markets, Agricultural Economics Review, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 97- 112.
14.McNamara, K., Belden, C., Kelly, T, Pehu, E., Donovan, K. (2011): ICT in agricultural development, ICT in Agriculture - Connecting Smallholders to Knowledge, Networks, and Institutions, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank, Washington, pp. 3-14.
15.Mittal, S.C. (2012): Role of Information Technology in Agriculture and its Scope in India, Available at: http://125.19.12.220/applications/Brihaspat.nsf/6dca49b7264f71ce65256a81003ad1cb/82f2c15ccd4dd9a065256b37001af3fe/$FILE/it_fai.pdf
16. Nicholas, K. (2003): Geo-Policy Barriers and Rural Internet Access: The Regulatory Role in Constructing the Digital Divide, Information Society, Vol. 19, Issue 4, pp. 287-295.
17. Odeh, O. O., Featherstone, A. M., Bergtold, J. S. (2010):Reliability of Statistical Software,The American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 92, Issue 5, pp. 1472-1489.
18.Phougat, S. (2006): Role of Information Technology in Agriculture, Science Tech Entrepreneur, August, pp. 1-7.
19.Press, L. (2005): Toward a Global Rural Network: Strategy and Action Plan, Information Technology for Development, Vol. 11, Issue 4, pp. 399-405.
20.Qiang, C. Z., Kuek, S. C., Dymond, A., Esselaar, S. (2012): Mobile Applications for Agriculture and Rural Development, ICT Sector Unit World Bank, Washington, pp. 56.
21. Ramírez, R. (2007): Appreciating the Contribution of Broadband ICT With Rural and Remote Communities: Stepping Stones Toward an Alternative Paradigm, Information Society, Vol. 23, Issue 2, pp. 85-94.
22. Rao, S.S. (2003): Information Systems in Indian Rural Communities, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Vol. 44, Issue 1, pp. 48-56.
23.Roe, B. E., Wyszynski, T. E., Olimov, J. M. (2011): Pigs in Cyberspace: A Natural Experiment Testing Differences between Online and Offline Club-Pig Auctions; The American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 93, Issue 5, pp. 1278-1291.
24. Samah, B.A., Shaffril, H.A.M., Hassan, M.D.S., Hassan, M.A., Ismail, N. (2009): Contribution of Information and Communication Technology in Increasing Agrobased Entrepreneurs Productivity in Malaysia, Journal of Agriculture & Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 93–97.
25.Smihily, M, Storm, H. (2010): ICT Usage in Enterprises 2009, Eurostat: Data in focus 1/2010. Available at: www.tporganics.eu/upload/TPOrganics_ImplementationActionPlan.pdf
26. Teye, F., Holster, H., Pesonen, L., Horakova, S. (2012): Current Situation on Data Exchange in Agriculture in EU27 and Switzerland, ICT for Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, T., Mildorf, C., Charvat, Jr. (Eds), Czech Centre for Science and Society Wirelessinfo, Prague, pp. 37-47.
27.Twaakyondo, H. M., Bhalalusesa, E. P., Ndalichako, J. L. (2002): Factors Shaping Successful Public Private Partnership in the ICT Sector in Developing Countries - The Case of Tanzania, Available at: http://tanzaniagateway.org/docs/ICT_sector_in_developing_countries_the_case_of_Tanzania.pdf
28. Zoranović, T., Vukoje, V. (2008): Softver za mala poljoprivredna gazdinstva, Ekonomika poljoprivrede, vol. 55, br. 3, IEP Beograd, str. 329-338.
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Published
2014-06-30
How to Cite
Milovanović, S. (2014). THE ROLE AND POTENTIAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURAL IMPROVEMENT. Economics of Agriculture, 61(2), 471–485. https://doi.org/10.5937/ekoPolj1402471M
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