MARKETING OF AGRI-BUSINESSES IN ICT ENVIRONMENT

By means of quantitative and qualitative research the doctoral dissertation has attained methodical insights into competences and usage levels of new technologies for marketing purposes in agri-businesses in the Republic of Croatia. The results and observations provided in the thesis indicate that swift action is required in order to improve the current situation and prepare farmers for forthcoming changes. In biotechnical sciences there is a need for continuous updating, research and control of interdependent processes and complex relations, which in turn creates a need for a unified system of knowledge dissemination. In order to manage a set of information arising from such processes, it is necessary to have a system that will allow us to store and transfer the acquired knowledge in a safe and simple way in real time, ensuring completeness of information. In today’s world, the key role in this process is to be played by information and communication technologies (ICT) encompassing the use of computers and communication technologies, as well as technologies for information management and transfer. Together with other ICT, the Internet is a resource that can bridge the gap between professionals of different expertise on one hand and people living in rural areas and farmers on the other, as it provides a platform for interaction and dialogue. Furthermore, ICT can foster new cooperation and networking through inter-sectoral contacts between government institutions, different support agencies and farmers. The efforts to implement ICT in the agricultural sector are held back by a range of limiting factors, such as: the necessity to reconstruct the sector itself, required investments in new communication systems and adjunct platforms, low levels of computer literacy among farmers, insufficient infrastructure, etc. Taking all this into account, it is obvious that the Internet and modern technologies can be drivers of positive change in agriculture. The primary goal of the dissertation was to develop a theoretical program and process of marketing application in agricultural sector, followed by tactical and strategic options from the standpoint of a particular business entity operating in agriculture, which can occur by using ICT. The analysis has revealed that in Croatia even the theoretical approach to agri-business marketing is underdeveloped, which makes it difficult to implement marketing in daily operations, and to integrate ICT in a particular marketing program and marketing process. Given the specific characteristics of agricultural production, the traditional industrial marketing mix cannot be applied there in a straightforward way. It is more acceptable to observe agricultural activities as a combination of production and services and to take into account the additional “3P” elements (people, processes, physical evidence), which was duly considered in the dissertation. The primary research was conducted in order to determine whether, and to what extent, agri-business operators are prepared to adopt and apply ICT. The qualitative research was carried out by in-depth interviews, whereas CATI method was used for quantitative research. The research was carried out on a random sample of family farm businesses (N=572), with twophase stratification (by the county and village size). Only the farms that were subsidized in 2009 (according to the official document of the Paying Agency for Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development) were included in the survey. Judging by the family farm businesses included in our sample, there is a low level of ICT possession/ usage, as well as ICT competences among farmers. After investigating the cross-tabulation according to demographic indicators, it can be concluded that the average family farm business with the highest level of computer literacy is situated in the Zagreb County, was registered in the period between 2000 and 2005, has its own web-site, livestock farming is its primary activity, carried out on the land plot of 5-10 hectares. This is, of course, the average result intended to generate information on the profile of an ICT-competent family farm business, which does not exclude good examples outside this average profile. The hypothesis proposed in the dissertation was that the agricultural sector has a great potential, with ample room for improvement achievable through benefits brought about by information and communication technologies. This hypothesis was confirmed by the analysis of secondary data and the results of primary research. Substantiating the stated hypothesis can be highlighted as the original scientific contribution of the doctoral dissertation.