Abstract
Modern scientific community after years of intensification of agricultural resources (soil, water, etc.) management, and with the actual risk of their depletion or degradation, is called to redefine standard agricultural practices with an environmentally friendly approach, focusing on their preservation, their enrichment and perpetuity of their yields. Also the nutritional stakes and environmental threats are high, brought about by the continuous growth of the world population which is expected to reach 10 billion in 2050 compared to 7.1 in 2013. In this context, the present study explores to what extent those directly involved, the crop producers, perceive the necessity of sustainable management of agricultural resources through the emerging practice of Precision Agriculture regarding the management of smaller parts of the fields according to the needs of each of them, while reducing inputs. This research aims to examine the concepts of crop producers regarding the prospects that arise through the adoption of Precision Agriculture in Greece, a country with problematic primary sector, with particular climatic conditions and varied micro-climates while compete countries of low labour costs. The methodological approach is based on field research using questionnaires concerning a representative sample of crop producers in the Region of Central Greece. The choice of variables assessed as necessary for the adoption of the Precision Agriculture techniques by the producers, was based on empirical observations, as well as the use of literature sources. Then, an exploratory factor analysis is carried out on parameters that are considered necessary by producers to adopt new technologies and how they perceive the successive situation that will be shaped by the new digital revolution in agricultural practice. Finally, the possibility of restarting primary production is being discussed, now that, due to the economic recession, many young people more familiar with technology are returning to the province and undertake to cultivate the land in the absence of any other employment.
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Notes
- 1.
According to the current EUROSTAT classification, NUTS 2 is referring to the basic regions for the application of regional policies.
- 2.
Ibid.
- 3.
The āspatial householdā: ā... expresses as a concept the relationships that a group of people, with family or other social ties, exploits and develops through the distribution of the agricultural land they own, either in the form of renting or direct exploitation, within the framework of the organization and operation of an agricultural business. At the same time it expresses: 1) the geographical distribution and spatial position of members who participate with land and/or labor and capital in the organization and operation of a farm holding, 2) the size of the land under control, and 3) the organization produced and managed by the coordinating agricultural family within the spatial household with the aim of regulating land and labor relationsā (Anthopoulou and Goussios 2007).
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Koutridi, E., Christopoulou, O., Duquenne, MN. (2018). Perceptions and Attitudes of Greek Farmers Towards Adopting Precision Agriculture: Case Study Region of Central Greece. In: Berbel, J., Bournaris, T., Manos, B., Matsatsinis, N., Viaggi, D. (eds) Multicriteria Analysis in Agriculture. Multiple Criteria Decision Making. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76929-5_10
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