Precision Agriculture Implementation Factors and Adoption Potential: The Case Study of Polish Agriculture

Abstract

Some of the current economic, social and environmental challenges could potentially be addressed by Precision Agriculture (PA) introduction. However, the pace of PA introduction is found to be slower than expected in developed, transitioning and developing countries, with the PA adoption literature is predominantly been focused on research on PA adoption in developed world. This paper addresses these shortcomings by identification and explanation of PA adoption factors and compilation of the regional ranking of PA adoption potential for 16 Polish voivodships. It contributes to the PA adoption factors’ literature by filling the gap on under-researched transitioning economies using Poland as a case-study. The key PA adoption factors were identified by Systematic Literature Review (SLR) based on the final sample of 21 papers from journals indexed in Scopus or Web of Science databases and were organized in 5 groups (socio-economic, agro-technological, financial, technological, and informational factors). These factors formed the conceptual framework for the ranking of PA adoption potential of 16 Polish voivodships based on the application of Sturgess rule. The analysis of PA adoption potential of 16 Polish voivodships shows the clear “core-periphery” divergence: i.e., well-developed metropolitan areas got the highest ranking and less developed peripheral regions were ranked low.