DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES INTRODUCTION FOR THE OWNERS OF FAMILY FARMS

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1275-1280
Author(s):  
E.V. Bocharova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Labor Demand ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Strategic Partnership ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Private Households ◽  
Digital Skills

The value of digital technologies for owners of family farms lies in the possibility of ensuring their relationship with potential suppliers and buyers of small-scale products. The introduction of digitalization in agriculture will allow organizing a strategic partnership, gaining access to educational, financial and legal services. The digitalization of the agricultural sector will contribute to a qualitative change in the nature of labor, labor demand and qualifications. Appropriate education and training is one of the main requirements for improving digital knowledge. In Russia, there are not enough independent advisory services that provide support to the owners of private households (PHH), and the heads of peasant farms (PF). The field that requires a comprehensive study of this issue, namely the objective need to create a digital skills training model focused on farmers and family owners, is highlighted. The methodological basis is the materials of the survey among the owners of private household plots. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that more than 70% of respondents do not plan to continue improving their professional competencies. The problem of the digital gap is that this population group is lagging behind due to the lack of e-literacy and digital skills. It is concluded that its solution should become one of the priorities of socio-economic policy. State authorities should provide the owners of private households, potential private sector investors, and start-up enterprises with the socioeconomic grounds for digitalization, organize the collection and analysis of data on digital technologies at the regional and national levels, and also ensure the development of sustainable business models and digital solutions for the inclusion of small producers into the digital transformation of agriculture.

scholarly journals The Socio-Economics Factors in Family Farms with Different Economic Sustainability Levels from Central and Eastern Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8262
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży ◽  
Marta Guth ◽  
Adam Majchrzak ◽  
Andreea Cipriana Muntean ◽  
Silvia Stefania Maican
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Small Family ◽  
Generational Changes

Economic sustainability plays an important role in shaping conditions for economic growth and social development. The importance of answering the question about the level of sustainability of family farms results from the fact that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, apart from exceptions (e.g. the Czech Republic and Slovakia), are characterized by a fragmented agrarian structure. Hence, the main goal of this article was to answer two questions: 1) whether the countries of Central and Eastern Europe differ in the level of economic sustainability of small family farms; and 2) whether the same socioeconomic factors impact similarly on the level of economic sustainability of small family farms from countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study was based on surveys conducted in small family farms: in 2018 from Poland (672 farms) and in 2019 in four other countries (Lithuania; 999 farms, Romania; 834 farms, Serbia; 523 farms, Moldova; 530 farms). The publication includes a critical analysis of the literature, structure analysis and correlation analysis. The results show the occurrence of large differences between the economic sustainability of small family farms from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The research indicates that the larger the area of a small-scale family farm, the greater its economic sustainability. The productivity of these farms increases with their economic sustainability. The results also prove a negative relationship between the age of the farmer and the economic sustainability of their farm in all analysed countries. These trends were found in all analysed countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The results of the analyses support the conclusion that agricultural policy instruments aimed at increasing the economic sustainability of small family farms should lead to: land consolidation, a decrease in the age of farm owners through generational changes, and a decrease in employment in agriculture, which would lead to a reduction in labour input in the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals Assessing the Graphic Questionnaire Used in Digital Literacy Training

10.28945/4302 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
The Impact

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2019 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 16] Aim/Purpose: To capture digital training experiences, the paper introduces a novel data collection method – a graphic questionnaire. It aims to demonstrate the opportunities and limitations of this tool for collecting feedback from socially disadvantaged participants of digital literacy training about their progress. Background: In training of digital skills for disadvantaged audiences through informal educational interventions, it is important to get sufficient knowledge on factors that lead to their progress in the course of training. There are many tools to measure the achievements of formal education participants, but assessing the effectiveness of informal digital skills training is researched less. The paper introduces a small-scale case study of the training programme aimed at the developing of reading and digital skills among the participants from three socially disadvantaged groups – people with hearing impairments, children from low income families, and elderly persons. The impact of the training on participants was evaluated using different tools, including a short graphic questionnaire to capture the perceptions of the participants after each training. Methodology: We performed a thematic analysis of graphic questionnaires collected after each training session to determine how the students perceived their progress in developing literacy and digital skills. Contribution The findings of the paper can assist in designing assessment of digital literacy programmes that focus not only on final results, but also on the process of gaining digital skills and important factors that facilitate progress. Findings: The graphic questionnaire allowed the researchers to get insights into the perception of acquired skills and progressive achievements of the participants through rich self-reports of attitudes, knowledge gained, and activities during training sessions. However, the graphic questionnaire format did not allow the collection of data about social interaction and cooperation that could be important in learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graphic questionnaires are useful and easy-to-use tools for getting rich contextual information about the attitudes, behaviour, and acquisition of knowledge in digital literacy training. They can be used in applied assessments of digital literacy training in various settings. Their simplicity can appeal to respondents; however, in the long-run interest of respondents in continuing self-reports should be sustained by additional measures. Recommendations for Researchers: Researcher may explore the variety of simple and attractive research instruments, such as “honeycomb” questionnaires and similar, to facilitate data collection and saturate feedback with significant perception of personal experiences in gaining digital literacy skills. Impact on Society: Designing effective digital literacy programmes, including engaging self-assessment methods and tools, aimed at socially disadvantaged people will contribute to their digital inclusion and to solving the issues of digital divide. Future Research: Exploration of diverse research methods and expanding the research toolset in assessing digital literacy training could advance our understanding of important processes and factors in gaining digital skills.

scholarly journals Integrating aspect of economic development in Ukrainian agriculture

Ekonomika APK ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 312 (10) ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
Inna Bezhenar ◽  
Larisa Malik ◽  
Andrii Shvets
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
The State ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activity ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Family Farms ◽  
Agricultural Enterprises ◽  
Business Entities

The purpose of the article is to determine the directions of integration processes in the development of entrepreneurial activity in the agricultural sector of the economy. Research methods. Using statistical and graphical methods, the state and trends of integration transformations of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine were assessed. Research results. The dynamics of changes in the number of agricultural enterprises in Ukraine during 2013-2019, their structure on the basis of legal status, scope and results of activities are analyzed and the relevant conclusions on the ways of development of integration processes in the agricultural sector are formed. The functioning of agrarian business entities of different sizes has been studied. The integration potential of small business entities in the agricultural sector has been identified. The dynamics of the main production indicators of small and micro enterprises is given, their share in the total volume of agricultural production is determined. Also, small forms of management due to integration and cooperative processes provide an opportunity to develop in rural areas, making financial contributions to local budgets, while large enterprises (agricultural holdings) usually have minimal impact on the development of rural economy and rural areas. The main segments of agricultural production (such as potatoes, vegetables, fruits and berries) in which households play a key role are identified. Priority areas for the development of personal farms have been identified, in particular, through the creation of family farms and their association in cooperatives, etc. The information base of the study is the scientific achievements of leading domestic and foreign scientists, analytical data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine. On the basis of the obtained results the social and economic expediency of development of cooperative forms of management in the countryside and integration of small-scale agricultural producers is substantiated. Scientific novelty. It is proposed to turn personal peasant farms into family farms as components of integration formations in agrarian business. Practical significance. The state of business structures of the agricultural sector of the Ukrainian economy is assessed and the prospects and advantages of the development of integration formations and cooperation in the sustainable development of rural areas are outlined. Tabl.: 8. Figs.: 1. Refs.: 20.

From precision agriculture to Industry 4.0

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (8) ◽  
pp. 1730-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonello Trivelli ◽  
Andrea Apicella ◽  
Filippo Chiarello ◽  
Roberto Rana ◽  
Gualtiero Fantoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Market Demand ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Circumstances that are have a significant impact on it. In particular, environmental sustainability related to the increase of worldwide population, and market demand for agricultural products (with consumers more and more aware about cultivation and breeding techniques and interested in healthy and high-quality products) represent two of the key challenges that the agricultural sector is going to face in next years. In such a landscape, technological innovations that can support organizations and entrepreneurs to face these problems become increasingly important, and Industry 4.0 is the most striking example. Indeed, the Industry 4.0 paradigm aims to integrate digital technologies into business processes to raise productivity levels and to develop new business models. Accordingly, digital technologies play a similar role in the precision agriculture domain, and the purpose of this paper is to understand if the technologies at the basis of these two paradigms are the same or not. Design/methodology/approach The present work investigates how the two domains of Industry 4.0 and precision agriculture are connected to one another by analyzing the most used technologies in both the fields in order to highlight common patterns and technological overlaps. To reach such goal, an approach combining manual and automated analysis was developed. Findings The research work generated three main results: a dictionary of precision agriculture technologies including 324 terms; a graph, describing the connections between the technologies composing the dictionary; and a representation of the main technological clusters identified. Originality/value These show how the two domains under analysis are directly connected and describe the most important technologies to leverage when approaching digital transformation processes in the agricultural sector.

scholarly journals Assessing the Graphic Questionnaire Used in Digital Literacy Training

10.28945/4301 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 113-126
Author(s):  
Elena Maceviciute ◽  
Thomas D. Wilson ◽  
Zinaida Manžuch
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Socially Disadvantaged ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
The Impact

Aim/Purpose: To capture digital training experiences, the paper introduces a novel data collection method – a graphic questionnaire. It aims to demonstrate the opportunities and limitations of this tool for collecting feedback from socially disadvantaged participants of digital literacy training about their progress. Background: In training of digital skills for disadvantaged audiences through informal educational interventions, it is important to get sufficient knowledge on factors that lead to their progress in the course of training. There are many tools to measure the achievements of formal education participants, but assessing the effectiveness of informal digital skills training is researched less. The paper introduces a small-scale case study of the training programme aimed at the developing of reading and digital skills among the participants from three socially disadvantaged groups – people with hearing impairments, children from low income families, and elderly persons. The impact of the training on participants was evaluated using different tools, including a short graphic questionnaire to capture the perceptions of the participants after each training. Methodology: We performed a thematic analysis of graphic questionnaires collected after each training session to determine how the students perceived their progress in developing literacy and digital skills. Contribution The findings of the paper can assist in designing assessment of digital literacy programmes that focus not only on final results, but also on the process of gaining digital skills and important factors that facilitate progress. Findings: The graphic questionnaire allowed the researchers to get insights into the perception of acquired skills and progressive achievements of the participants through rich self-reports of attitudes, knowledge gained, and activities during training sessions. However, the graphic questionnaire format did not allow the collection of data about social interaction and cooperation that could be important in learning. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graphic questionnaires are useful and easy-to-use tools for getting rich contextual information about the attitudes, behaviour, and acquisition of knowledge in digital literacy training. They can be used in applied assessments of digital literacy training in various settings. Their simplicity can appeal to respondents; however, in the long-run interest of respondents in continuing self-reports should be sustained by additional measures. Recommendations for Researchers: Researcher may explore the variety of simple and attractive research instruments, such as “honeycomb” questionnaires and similar, to facilitate data collection and saturate feedback with significant perception of personal experiences in gaining digital literacy skills. Impact on Society: Designing effective digital literacy programmes, including engaging self-assessment methods and tools, aimed at socially disadvantaged people will contribute to their digital inclusion and to solving the issues of digital divide. Future Research: Exploration of diverse research methods and expanding the research toolset in assessing digital literacy training could advance our understanding of important processes and factors in gaining digital skills.

Directions and Forms of Adaptation of Agricultural Production Experience to Integration into Digital Platforms of Agribusiness Functioning

2020 ◽  
pp. 2-6
Author(s):  
A.N. Semin ◽  
◽  
V.V. Drokin ◽  
A.S. Zhuravlev ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Research Centers ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
Grain Crops ◽  
Production Experience

The article discusses the main directions and forms of adaptation of agricultural production experience to integration into digital platforms for the functioning of the agricultural sector. The informational and statistical basis of the study is determined; a circle of modern research centers that deal with the use of digital technologies in the agricultural sector is outlined; the technologies used in the agricultural sector are classified based on the cliometric approach, that demonstrated by analyzing the yield of grain crops in Russia from 1850 to 2019. Digital platforms for the functioning of the agro-industrial complex are highlighted, allowing to implement areas and forms of adaptation of agricultural production experience to integration into them. Concrete recommendations are given on the use of digital technologies in the field of agricultural production from the standpoint of increasing the competitiveness of agro-food products.

scholarly journals How Do Women Overcome Gender Inequality by Forming Small-Scale Cooperatives? The Case of the Agricultural Sector in Uganda

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1797
Author(s):  
Amber Theeuwen ◽  
Valérie Duplat ◽  
Christopher Wickert ◽  
Brian Tjemkes
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Business Relationships ◽  
Female Farmers

In Uganda, the agricultural sector contributes substantially to gross domestic product. Although the involvement of Ugandan women in this sector is extensive, female farmers face significant obstacles, caused by gendering that impedes their ability to expand their family business and to generate incomes. Gender refers to social or cultural categories by which women–men relationships are conceived. In this study, we aim to investigate how gendering influences the development of business relationships in the Ugandan agricultural sector. To do so, we employed a qualitative–inductive methodology to collect unique data on the rice and cassava sectors. Our findings reveal at first that, in the agricultural sector in Uganda, inter-organization business relationships (i.e., between non-family actors) are mostly developed by and between men, whereas intra-organization business relationships with family members are mostly developed by women. We learn that gendering impedes women from developing inter-organization business relationships. Impediments for female farmers include their restricted mobility, the lack of trust by men, their limited freedom in communication, household duties, and responsibilities for farming activities up until sales. Our findings also reveal that these impediments to developing inter-organization business relationships prevent female farmers from being empowered and from attainting economic benefits for the family business. In this context, the results of our study show that grouping in small-scale cooperatives offers female farmers an opportunity to overcome gender inequality and to become economically emancipated. Thanks to these cooperatives, women can develop inter-organization relationships with men and other women and gain easier access to financial resources. Small-scale cooperatives can alter gendering in the long run, in favor of more gender equality and less marginalization of women. Our study responds to calls for more research on the informal economy in developing countries and brings further understanding to the effect of gendering in the Ugandan agricultural sector. We propose a theoretical framework with eight propositions bridging gendering, business relationship development, and empowerment and economic benefits. Our framework serves as a springboard for policy implications aimed at fostering gender equality in informal sectors in developing countries.

scholarly journals Literature review on business prototypes for digital platform

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shrutika Mishra ◽  
A. R. Tripathi
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Digital Platform ◽  
New Business ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
The Way

Abstract In today’s world, many digitally enabled start-ups are budding all over the globe because of the fast enhancement in digital technologies. For the establishment of new business, it is necessary to adopt a proper business model which needs to define the way in which the company will provide values and the ways in which the customers can pay for their services. This paper aims to study the various business models being used in today’s marketplace and to provide a better understanding for these business models by having an insight on the attributes.

Individual Versus Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Partner-Violent Men: A Preliminary Randomized Trial

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (15-16) ◽  
pp. 2846-2868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Murphy ◽  
Christopher I. Eckhardt ◽  
Judith M. Clifford ◽  
Adam D. LaMotte ◽  
Laura A. Meis
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Behavioral Approach ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Individual Treatment ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Relationship Functioning ◽  
Significant Difference

A randomized clinical trial tested the hypothesis that a flexible, case formulation–based, individual treatment approach integrating motivational interviewing strategies with cognitive-behavioral therapy (ICBT) is more efficacious than a standardized group cognitive-behavioral approach (GCBT) for perpetrators of intimate partner violence (IPV). Forty-two men presenting for services at a community domestic violence agency were randomized to receive 20 sessions of ICBT or a 20-week group cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program. Participants and their relationship partners completed assessments of relationship abuse and relationship functioning at baseline and quarterly follow-ups for 1 year. Treatment uptake and session attendance were significantly higher in ICBT than GCBT. However, contrary to the study hypothesis, GCBT produced consistently equivalent or greater benefits than ICBT. Participant self-reports revealed significant reductions in abusive behavior and injuries across conditions with no differential benefits between conditions. Victim partner reports revealed more favorable outcomes for group treatment, including a statistically significant difference in psychological aggression, and differences exceeding a medium effect size for physical assault, emotional abuse, and partner relationship adjustment. In response to hypothetical relationship scenarios, GCBT was associated with greater reductions than ICBT (exceeding a medium effect) in articulated cognitive distortions and aggressive intentions. Treatment competence ratings suggest that flexible, individualized administration of CBT creates challenges in session agenda setting, homework implementation, and formal aspects of relationship skills training. Although caution is needed in generalizing findings from this small-scale trial, the results suggest that the mutual support and positive social influence available in group intervention may be particularly helpful for IPV perpetrators.

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