Agriculture

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

Political considerations were a constant feature of the agricultural programmes and structures of Eastern European countries under the former communist system of government. Centralised planning often impeded the free flow of agricultural information to and from farmers. With the disintegration of the Republic of Yugoslavia, Croatia’s agricultural development has been strongly affected by change. In the past, 50 percent of the land was farmed by large and heavily subsidised agricultural interests. As of this case study, all producers in all regions have access to a very high level of direct subsidies (approx. 200 million euros in 2003) regardless of the crops they produce and the type of access they have to markets. With the resultant large number of very small holdings (averaging approx. 2.5 ha each) throughout Croatia, the challenge is to make information and communication technology (ICT) work to provide adequate technical assistance and economically feasible production knowledge.

According to the findings of this study, especially needed after the fall of communism was an effective information flow to serve the important income sources of agrotourism, hunting, beekeeping, and organic and traditional production. While effective information communication channels were already in place within academic research institutes and universities for their information sharing with each other, postwar restructuring was necessary. Less established organisations, and newly founded institutions were not as well set-up to participate in this information exchange.

To address this inequity, a National Agriculture Research System (NARS) was developed by the Faculty of Agronomy of Zagreb University to conduct research. In addition, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) along with the European Union (EU) are supplying funding support toward international relations for the Agriculture Faculties at the four Universities in Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka and Split. The results from this research are now presented at an annual National Agriculture Symposium, the main communication channel for agriculture research users. While symposia and courses for farmers are not considered feasible because of a shortage of funds for travel and honorarium fees, the Ministry of Science advocates the publishing of agriculture-based research findings in the online newsletter on the Republic of Croatia’s website.

The adaptation of e-technologies for farmers, such as econometric models and interactive software for farm budgeting, has largely been undertaken by Croatian universities. Access to this information, however, assumes the farmer has the financial resources to own a computer. As a result, the main beneficiaries of this type of ICT are owners of large farms. Smaller farmers rely on more traditional information exchange methods such as the telephone and personal contact, both of which can develop into a financial burden to maintain.

For those who do have access to a computer, a comprehensive website, TISUP (Trzisni Informacijski Sustav u Poljoprivredi), provides a free market information system (MIS) in agriculture. This website features weekly minimum, maximum and average prices for agri-products. Other services on this website include market cost calculations, the ability to buy and sell via telephone and the web, and media summaries of agri-news.

The limitations of this MIS include the inability to cut across regional markets to ensure a constant flow of goods and information. However, TISUP has demonstrated a clear vision for improving the reach and depth of its service, including marketing its software to neighbouring countries and making the service financially viable. At present, according to this case study, TISUP stands out as a good model of ICT practices in agriculture.

The Extension Agency is part of the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and through a World Bank project has become well-equipped with information technology (IT). Its headquarters and main offices communicate using e-mail, the internet, and computerised databases. This technology allows staff to provide technical assistance in person as well as through grants and loans. There are also plans to use IT in the preparation and promotion of agricultural fairs and exhibitions, helping to reduce the time consuming and expensive use of fax and telephone communication.

At a local level, in order to avail themselves of the latest agricultural findings and research, such as through the TISUP website, individual farmers and local producer associations must have access to networked computers. Training and education is needed in this area as well since many farmers have minimal education and are therefore not as receptive to the electronic exchange of information.

By emphasising the demand-driven provision of information, such as market information and weather services, a farmers’ interest in investing in ICT can be greatly enhanced, especially through focusing on making information available through such portable technology as mobile telephones and laptop computers.

The drive to comply with EU accession requirements is a great motivator for the development of database systems that collect appropriate statistics as well as interactive sites and appropriate software.

Whatever form ICTs take, they must be developed in consultation with farmers for the technologies to be successful.