Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic
The challenges of new rural technological possibilities in the 21st century resonate with agriculture. These represent, in particularly the improving availability of ICT infrastructure and the digitisation of socioeconomic processes. This paper focuses on exploring issues related to the potential ch...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sciendo
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | European Countryside |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0006 |
| _version_ | 1797832425417474048 |
|---|---|
| author | Pělucha Martin Nováková Jana Shemetev Alexander Kouřilová Jana |
| author_facet | Pělucha Martin Nováková Jana Shemetev Alexander Kouřilová Jana |
| author_sort | Pělucha Martin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The challenges of new rural technological possibilities in the 21st century resonate with agriculture. These represent, in particularly the improving availability of ICT infrastructure and the digitisation of socioeconomic processes. This paper focuses on exploring issues related to the potential change in the business behaviour of agricultural holdings and farmers following digitization and the use of ICT. The empirical research was carried out in the territory of the Local Action Group (LAS) Železnohorský region, which is a typical inner rural periphery with a strong agricultural base. The paper presents both the results of an exploratory survey and also develops a specific empirical model according to the improved Cobb-Douglas production function with specifics of the agrarian sector (i.e., including the role of agricultural subsidies and also the application of advanced ICT). The results in the selected rural micro-region showed that the process of digitisation has been very marginal in the models of functioning of the relevant agricultural entities. The current prevailing “techno-optimist approach” in EU strategic planning needs to be overcome by more intensive and comprehensive support for the digitisation process in rural peripheral areas. Particularly, this involves a necessary combination of support for investment in ICT infrastructure and new technologies with more intensive support for digital literacy and knowledge empowerment, which will enable more intensive exploitation of the potential and possibilities of digital technologies and virtual environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:08:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7394a1a60a2547c192472a1220915587 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1803-8417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:08:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Countryside |
| spelling | doaj.art-7394a1a60a2547c192472a12209155872023-05-06T15:50:46ZengSciendoEuropean Countryside1803-84172023-03-011519912310.2478/euco-2023-0006Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech RepublicPělucha Martin0Nováková Jana1Shemetev Alexander2Kouřilová Jana31Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Economics, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czechia1Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Economics, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czechia1Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Economics, Prague University of Economics and Business, Czechia1Department of Regional Studies, Faculty of Economics, Prague University of Economics and Business, CzechiaThe challenges of new rural technological possibilities in the 21st century resonate with agriculture. These represent, in particularly the improving availability of ICT infrastructure and the digitisation of socioeconomic processes. This paper focuses on exploring issues related to the potential change in the business behaviour of agricultural holdings and farmers following digitization and the use of ICT. The empirical research was carried out in the territory of the Local Action Group (LAS) Železnohorský region, which is a typical inner rural periphery with a strong agricultural base. The paper presents both the results of an exploratory survey and also develops a specific empirical model according to the improved Cobb-Douglas production function with specifics of the agrarian sector (i.e., including the role of agricultural subsidies and also the application of advanced ICT). The results in the selected rural micro-region showed that the process of digitisation has been very marginal in the models of functioning of the relevant agricultural entities. The current prevailing “techno-optimist approach” in EU strategic planning needs to be overcome by more intensive and comprehensive support for the digitisation process in rural peripheral areas. Particularly, this involves a necessary combination of support for investment in ICT infrastructure and new technologies with more intensive support for digital literacy and knowledge empowerment, which will enable more intensive exploitation of the potential and possibilities of digital technologies and virtual environments.https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0006digitisationagricultureinner rural peripheryrural development |
| spellingShingle | Pělucha Martin Nováková Jana Shemetev Alexander Kouřilová Jana Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic European Countryside digitisation agriculture inner rural periphery rural development |
| title | Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic |
| title_full | Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic |
| title_fullStr | Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic |
| title_short | Contesting the Role of Digitisation and ICT in the Business Model of Agricultural Holdings and Farmers: Micro-Study of the Inner Rural Periphery Region in the Czech Republic |
| title_sort | contesting the role of digitisation and ict in the business model of agricultural holdings and farmers micro study of the inner rural periphery region in the czech republic |
| topic | digitisation agriculture inner rural periphery rural development |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0006 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT peluchamartin contestingtheroleofdigitisationandictinthebusinessmodelofagriculturalholdingsandfarmersmicrostudyoftheinnerruralperipheryregionintheczechrepublic AT novakovajana contestingtheroleofdigitisationandictinthebusinessmodelofagriculturalholdingsandfarmersmicrostudyoftheinnerruralperipheryregionintheczechrepublic AT shemetevalexander contestingtheroleofdigitisationandictinthebusinessmodelofagriculturalholdingsandfarmersmicrostudyoftheinnerruralperipheryregionintheczechrepublic AT kourilovajana contestingtheroleofdigitisationandictinthebusinessmodelofagriculturalholdingsandfarmersmicrostudyoftheinnerruralperipheryregionintheczechrepublic |