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The e-readiness of Hungarian Farmers
Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org
Citation: 7th World Congress on Computers in Agriculture Conference Proceedings, 22-24 June 2009, Reno, Nevada (electronic only) 711P0409e.(doi:10.13031/2013.29098)Authors: Mihály Csótó
Keywords: Keyword: Hungary, farmers, digital divide
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can contribute to rural economic and social life through numerous applications and reduce the deficit caused by mainly the geographical isolation. ICT can play a crucial role to make farms more competitive and to live up to the expectations of modern life and competitiveness. This facts are extremely relevant in Hungary, where rural areas cover 87% of the territory of the country and are inhabited by 45% of the population. Agriculture also a significant part of the economy of the country: more than 200 000 active, registered farmers are in Hungary. The majority of those farmers are in the wrong side of the so called digital divide, because of there rural background, their age or education. The digital exclusion in Hungary is a real factor. Sixty percent of the adult population is digitally illiterate, and moreover, the majority of the excluded do not have a direct connection with characteristic tools (computers and the Internet) or with people who use them on a regular, daily basis. These numbers are valid or a bit worse if we take a look at the farmer community. There are some governmental and civil programs to narrow the divide, but up to this point their focus was on the infrastructure. The results of recent surveys show that the lack of motivation and interest are also a huge factor and a significant part of the population is not aware of the advantages they can obtain from the digital world.
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