Understanding the Situation and Factors of ICT Adoption in Agricultural Cooperatives

Abstract

The phenomenon of the information and communication technologies (ICT) in general and Internet in particular has forced businesses and organizations to examine their existing business practices and adopt new methods of working, both for existing and potential customers. This paper presents an analysis of a study of 49 agri-food cooperatives in the province of Lleida, Spain, which seeks to analyse the current situation of Internet usage and electronic commerce in agrarian cooperatives and obtain the different factors of employing ICTs and the level of sophistication of use. The results are focused in the questionnaire that was completed by olive oil and sweet fruit cooperatives in 2010 that addressed the following aspects: computer equipment, Internet connection and presence, and finally, the level of electronic commerce. The discussion, based on the initial findings, examines the circumstances for ICT success and strategic effects resulting from implementation and use of such technologies. Afterwards, a logistic regression was carried out for determining the relevant factors in ICT adoption. The findings highlight that main activity and own website, including the variable training under particular circumstances are clearly significant to the extent of adoption and exploitation of ICTs by cooperatives.