Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T13:08:55.440Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Precision Agriculture in China: Exploring Awareness, Understanding, Attitudes and Perceptions of Agricultural Experts and End-Users in China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2017

H. Kendall ,
P. Naughton ,
B. Clark ,
J. Taylor ,
Z. Li ,
C. Zhao ,
G. Yang ,
J. Chen  and
L. J. Frewer
H. Kendall
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
P. Naughton
Affiliation:
Edinburgh Napier University Business School, Craiglockhart Campus, 219 Colinton Rd, Edinburgh, EH14 1DJ
B. Clark*
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
J. Taylor
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
Z. Li
Affiliation:
School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
C. Zhao
Affiliation:
National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing Nongke Mansion, Shuang Hua Yuan Middle Road No. 11, Haidian District, Beijing, China
G. Yang
Affiliation:
National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing Nongke Mansion, Shuang Hua Yuan Middle Road No. 11, Haidian District, Beijing, China
J. Chen
Affiliation:
National Engineering Research Center for Information Technology in Agriculture, Beijing Nongke Mansion, Shuang Hua Yuan Middle Road No. 11, Haidian District, Beijing, China
L. J. Frewer
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
*
†E-mail: lynn.frewer@newcastle.ac.uk
Get access

Abstract

Precision agriculture (PA) may improve the sustainability of Chinese agriculture. Ten experts were interviewed and 34 farm workers surveyed regarding their understanding, attitudes and perceptions towards PA. PA technologies were considered inaccessible, unsuitable and unnecessary for smaller farms. High cost, lack of perceived benefits, and skills and capability required to adopt PA represented barriers to adoption. Financial incentives/subsidies, the need for tangible benefits and tailored solutions to be demonstrated to farmers, and agronomic and peer support were desired. Future research should further explore PA with Chinese stakeholders and end-users in China, to inform future socio-technological developments.

Keywords

farmer perceptionsbarriers and facilitators of adoptionChinafamily farms.
Type
PA in practice
Information
Advances in Animal Biosciences , Volume 8 , Special Issue 2: Papers presented at the 11th European Conference on Precision Agriculture (ECPA 2017), John McIntyre Centre, Edinburgh, UK, July 16–20 2017 , July 2017 , pp. 703 - 707
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adrian, AM, Norwood, SH and Mask, PL 2005. Producers’ perceptions and attitudes towards precision agriculture technology. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 48, 256–771.Google Scholar
Asveld, L, Ganzevles, J and Osseweijer, P 2015. Trustworthiness and Responsible Research and Innovation: The Case of the Bio-Economy. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 28 (3), 1–18.Google Scholar
Coles, D, Rawcliffe, A and Frewer, LJ (accepted). The application of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) to agricultural and food production: A comparison between Chinese and European policy perspectives.Google Scholar
Daberkow, SG and McBride, WD 2003. Farm and operator characteristics affecting the awareness and adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies in the US. Precision Agriculture 4, 163–177.Google Scholar
European Commission 2015. Responsible research and innovation. https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/responsible-research-innovation (retrieved 06/06/2016).Google Scholar
Frewer, LJ, van der Lans, IA, Fischer, AR, Reinders, MJ, Menozzi, D, Zhang, X, van den Berg, I and , KL 2013. Public perceptions of agri-food applications of genetic modification–a systematic review and meta-analysis. Trends in Food Science and Technology 30 (2), 142–152.Google Scholar
Glaser, BG. and Strauss, AL 1967. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago, IL: Aldine Publishing Co., USA.Google Scholar
Jiyun, J and Cheng, J 2002. Spatial variability of soil nutrients and site-specific nutrient management in the P.R China. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 36, 165–172.Google Scholar
Kutter, T, Tiemann, S, Siebert, R and Fountas, S 2009. The role of communication and co-operation in the adoption of precision farming. Precision Agriculture 12, 2–7.Google Scholar
Lamb, DW, Frazier, P and Adams, P 2008. Improving the pathways to adoption: putting the right Ps in precision agriculture. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 61, 4–9.Google Scholar
Liu, X, Zhang, W, Zhang, M, Ficklin, P and Wang, F 2009. Spatio-temporal variations of soil nutrients influenced by an altered land tenure system in China. Goderma 152, 23–34.Google Scholar
Ma, L, Feng, S, Reidsma, P, Qu, F and Heerink, N 2014. Identifying entry points to improve fertilizer use efficiency in Taihu Basin, China. Land Use Policy 37, 52–59.Google Scholar
Plant, RE 2001. Site-specific management: the application of information technology to crop production. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 30 (1–3), 9–29.Google Scholar
Reichardt, M and Jürgens, C 2009. Adoption and future perspective of precision farming in Germany: Results of several surveys among different agricultural target groups. Precision Agriculture 10, 73–94.Google Scholar
Robert, PC 2002. Precision agriculture: a challenge for crop nutrition management. Plant Soil 247, 143–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Napier, TL, Robinson, J and Tucker, M 2000. Adoption of precision farming within three Midwest watersheds. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 55 (2), 135–141.Google Scholar
World Bank 2016. World Bank open data. http://beta.data.worldbank.org/ (retrieved 06/06/2016).Google Scholar
Xan, X, Jin, J, He, P and Liang, M 2008. Recent advances on the technologies to increase fertilizer use efficiency. Agricultural Sciences in China 7 (4), 469–479.Google Scholar