Subproject (SP) 6
Project
applicant: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Carsten Jürgens, Dipl. Geogr. Maike Reichardt
Title of
the subproject (SP): The Acceptance of Precision Agriculture among farmers,
advisers, instructors and agritechnological industries in Germany
Shorted
title of the SP: The Acceptance of Precision Agriculture
Aim of
the SP: The subproject follows the aim of a differentiated analysis of the
individual knowledge about PA as well as the identification of the acceptance
of PA among farmers, advisers, instructors and agritechnological industries as
well as their variation with time
Status
of the SP in the joint project: Special field 1 - Integrative Level of the
Value Chain. The results of the research can be used for technological
development, for public relation work, for apprenticeship and further education
as well as for advisory services
Beginning with a pilot
study in 1999 including 319 interviewed persons, the representative survey was
updated during the Agritechnica 2001 and 2003. The generated database is unique
in
The aim of the survey was
to monitor how precision farming techniques have entered the German market over
time and geographic location. Therefore German farmers have been interviewed
during the fair to find out their experience with the new technology and their
attitudes towards it. Based on some key questions the responders have been
divided in different groups and have been asked group-specific questions
(non-informed, informed about PA, informed non-PA users, potential PA users,
beginning PA users, PA users).
The surveys in 1999, 2001 and 2003 indicate that still
numerous obstacles exist, which prevent a comprehensive use of the technique.
Thus a large number of users mainly apply techniques that provide information
regarding their fields (e.g. yield mapping, soil sampling).Only a few farms
already use PA techniques that help to react according to the prior information
gained (e.g. site-specific seeding, fertilization etc.) (see Figure 1).
Numerous well informed and in PA interested farmers have various reasons for
hesitation. Most of them say that it is still to expensive to introduce PA on
their farms. Many of them want to wait until they realize that PA has proved to
be no longer problematic. In addition the results of the survey show that still
there are a lot of young farmers in apprenticeship who don’t know what the
expression “Precision Agriculture” means. This indicates that there are still a
lot of teachers who don’t provide current knowledge. Users still complain about
the lack of compatibility between machines of different manufacturers or
software problems. It is necessary to identify occurring problems in detail to
simplify the compatibility of the hard- and software.
In subproject 6 the results
of the surveys will be used to identify the problems of users and obstacles of
non-users. The questionnaire for the Agritechnica 2005 and DLG – Field Days
2006 will be modified by the results from the generated database. A further
substantial question for subproject 6 is to monitor how PA techniques enter the
German market in respect of time and geographic location and to find an
explanation for this diffusion. The work in the subproject begins with a
detailed statistical interpretation of the generated dataset from the surveys
in 1999 to 2003. The analysis of the generated dataset will be achieved with
the help of the statistical program SPSS and the geographical information
system ArcGis. The results can be used for software development and improvement
of the training courses.
In addition to the
interviews at the Agritechnica 2005 and the DLG-Field Days 2006 there are plans
for telephone interviews with advisers, instructors and representatives of the
farm industry. The interviews will also be conducted by a standardized
questionnaire. A repeat survey of the advisers is planned for 2006. The results
will be used for the revision of the teaching material (subproject 20).
Furthermore the participants of the advanced training courses will be
interviewed for proving the long-term effects of the courses.
The planned fair-interviews
at the Agritechnica 2005 and at the DLG Field-Days 2006 will be conducted by a
spontaneous oral interviews of fair visitors. The surveys will be carried out
with a digital, standardized questionnaire with closed questions.
Finally the generated
dataset will be analyzed with the help of statistical and GIS programs. The
information about the internal structure, the extent and the regional
differentiation of the farms will be used for research and the practical work.
The results will be used to identify factors of influence and pattern of acceptance.
Furthermore they help to reinforce theories of spatial-temporal process of
diffusion of PA in