Are small farms sustainable and technologically smart? Evidence from Poland, Romania, and Lithuania

• Authors: Sebastian Stępień , Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży , Jan Polcyn , Aleksy Kwiliński , Ionut Maican

Abstracts

EN

Sustainable development of farms is determined by many factors and, in recent years, significance of modern technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) has been pointed out, especially in terms of beneficial effects on economic performance and natural resources. Therefore, there is a need to answer the question about the application of AI technologies in small-scale farms, especially those with a relatively high level of sustainability. In order to obtain the information, a survey in Poland, Romania and Lithuania was carried out. Among the respondents, the 20 most sustainable farms in each country were selected using the CRITIC-TOPSIS method. Next, in-depth interviews were conducted to explore attitudes, behaviour and knowledge of AI. . The results show that small-scale farms in selected countries do not apply artificial intelligence. Although owners recognise and appreciate the benefits of AI, they are not convinced to implement this technology in their own business, they are not completely uncritical about using AI tools in the practice. The main obstacles are: low level of knowledge, misconception of the price of innovation or lack of capital for buying more advanced technology, low interest in implementing innovative solutions due the small scale of production or habituation to traditional production methods.

Keywords

EN

small-scale farms; technology; artificial intelligence; sustainable development; interview research; farmers opinions

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Warszawski. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydziału Zarządzania
• Journal: Central European Economic Journal
• Year: 2022
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 57
• Pages: 116-132

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Sebastian Stępień

• Poznań University od Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics

author

Katarzyna Smędzik-Ambroży

• Poznań University od Economics and Business, Department of Macroeconomics and Agricultural Economics

author

Jan Polcyn

• Stanislaw Staszic State University of Applied Sciences, Department of Economics

author

Aleksy Kwiliński

• London Academy of Science and Business

author

Ionut Maican

• Transilvania University of Brasov

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/ceej-2023-0007

Biblioteka Nauki

2200546