Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Adoption in Horticulture : A Comparison to the EFITA Baseline - update october 2012

Understanding and alleviating the constraints to ICT adoption are currently at the forefront of ICT for agricultural production and rural development. EFITA is conducting since 1999 a survey to gain such understanding. The 2004 symposium of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) offered a unique opportunity to compare the EFITA survey results to symposium participant’s perspectives. This survey on ICT adoption in horticulture has been updated at the 2009 ISHS symposium in Chiang Mai, Thailand and a survey organised in 2005 by ILVO on a sample of 208 horticultural companies in Flanders, Belgium. The results of these surveys till now have revealed the following comparable adoption constraints : “end user (ICT) proficiency”, “lack of training”, “ICT benefit awareness”, “time”, “cost of technology”, “system integration” and “software availability”. These results are in line with the EFITA surveys over time, indicating a shift from ICT technical proficiency as a primary limiting factor towards a lack of understanding “how to get a benefit from the various ICT options” – this being a challenge to research, extension and ICT market services. The survey comparisons provide insights which suggest remedial steps to expedite ICT adoption and prioritize the necessary research.