Consulting for sustainable development, information technology adoption, marketing and entrepreneurship issues in livestock farms

Abstract

Consulting agricultural services constitute a major key for implementing successfully sustainable development EU goals in rural areas. Today, in the context of the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013, there are initiatives for funding crop and livestock farms and entrepreneurship. Presently, there are bureaus offering consulting services and reliable information to the Greek farmers regarding Information technology adoption and innovative e-tools, marketing and processing of agricultural products, certificated agro-products (ISO), modernization of agricultural holdings, restructuring of livestock sector, etc. Farmers have the opportunity to participate in EU funded measures that support the development of new activities, such as innovative actions, marketing services, new information technology software and web tools and promote production innovations through specific investments. This paper aims to study and evaluate the adoption of consulting from livestock farms and discuss future opportunities. This case study is based on primary data collected from the prefecture of Rodopi, in Thrace, Northeastern Greece, through a farm management survey which was carried out during September and December 2011. A sample of 120 livestock farmers between the ages of 20 and 70 was surveyed for the empirical application of this study using a well-structured questionnaire. The survey took place in private consulting bureaus and locally at farms. The collected data were coded and analyzed with SPSS. Data was classified with cluster analysis in order to identify and describe groups with common attitudes among farmers. Findings show that 54% of the farmers in the sample are interested in consulting and adopt information technology solutions, marketing and entrepreneurship issues, aiming to sustainability in the context of EU goals. The results also indicate that 63% of the farmers have already participated in a program while 37% have participated in the schemes promoting the establishment of young farmers. Moreover, 55% of them would prefer to be consulted by private consulting bureaus rather than government consulting divisions. Private consulting bureaus satisfy farmers who consider them as a significant support in their attempt to achieve the contemporary EU goals for sustainable development through the adoption of information technologies tools and innovative trade and marketing techniques. Farmers can be further classified in two groups that share similar either innovative or traditional aspects about Greek agriculture trends, in relation to their social characteristics.