Enhancing Agricultural Entrepreneurship Through Mobile Applications in Greece: The Case of a “Farm Management” Application

Introduction

Recent developments related to globalization and the technological revolution, mainly in the fields of information, and communication, has resulted in increased entrepreneurship and development in modern economies, significantly affecting the behavior of production units operating in the primary production sector. Entrepreneurship is one of the most important parts of agriculture, as it encourages innovation and preventive thinking about future trends (Drucker, 2000). The degree of difficulty of the decisions that managers/producers are called upon to make becomes increasingly complex, requiring their support from specialized tools. Particular emphasis should be placed on the promotion of information, but also on the development of systems that will support decision-making and management processes in the primary sector.

The advancement of digital technology and especially ICT creates many challenges for smart, sustainable and without exclusions growth, and therefore constitutes a crucial initiative to strengthen entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Agricultural enterprises seem to have a lot to gain from using Internet technology (Koehnen, 2011). ICT could help farmers in accessing market information, land records and services, accounting and farm management information, management of pests and diseases, and rural development programs(Purnomo & Kusnandar, 2019).

The importance of technology transfer as a driving force of innovative entrepreneurship in agriculture is highlighted by Carayannis et al., (2018) and has argued for the technological integration of the added value of the agricultural industry.

The complexity and the large amount of information used or required to solve problems of rural economy coupled with the need for quick decision-making have resulted in the interference of modern and often multifunctional computing units (portable devices computers) and individual devices which take place in different natural environments andcan be used in rural economy almost immediately after their introduction (Salampasis et al.,2006). According to Nakasone et al., (2014) data collection, monitoring and evaluation via mobile applications are quickly and impressively taking over traditional methods of information gathering and use. Building up human capacity, as well as, the infrastructureneeded to facilitate better connectivity is also critical.

Indeed, there is no better example of smart farming than with the mobile apps. It has become a game changer for on-the-go growers and retailers, allowing them to perform critical tasks wherever and whenever they need them. Farmers can achieve higher crop yields, as they get access to timelier and better-quality information on products and inputs as well as environmental and market conditions through ICTs (Torero,2014).

The diffusion and use of ICT is considered as an important factor in improving the productivity and competitiveness of Greek Agriculture. However, the degree of ICT penetration into the Greek Agriculture, compared to other European Union countries, is relatively low (Salampasis & Theodoridis, 2013; Michailidis et. al., 2010). Given the growth rate, information about mobile technology can quickly become obsolete. The information and skills gap that prevents the adoption of available technologies and management practices has been studied by many researchers (Brugger, 2011, Singh et al., 2016; Kante, et al. 2017, Chege et al. 2020) and in various countries. ICT, and especially mobile technologies, are often seen as a “game changer” in smallholder agriculture, facilitating the dissemination of information (Brugger, 2011). The insignificant contribution of ICT to accessing and using information on agricultural inflows in developing countries is limited by the low use of ICT caused by certain factors, such as farmers' perceptions of ICT, the quality of information and the possibilities of use and utility provided. (Kante, et al. 2017). This study seeks to fill this research gap by assessing user satisfaction with its interface with such applications. “Satisfaction is an evaluation process, which is based on whether the particular experience was as good as the user thought it would be” (Hunt, 1977).

Assessment leads to the creation of more user-friendly applications by enhancing the adoption of mobile technology by farmers in order to use innovative applications in “smart” mobile communication devices (smartphones) and tablets, since the usefulness of applications for mobile devices are one of the critical factors in increasing the spread of ICT (Batzios et al., 2001; Michailidis et al.,2010).