Agriculture in the information society

Agriculture in the Information Society is analysed by a review of recent publications on the subject. The development of a future Network Society is foreseen to imply significant changes in the use of information technology (IT) in agriculture. Farmers' hitherto modest use of IT is explained by the economic argument, that simplification of farming methods and application of cheap externally produced inputs have been more efficient ways to reduce farming costs than IT. It is predicted that this situation will change due to restrictions on chemicals and certain production practises. Information technology will become important due to a need for a higher precision in the use of chemicals and in the care of farm animals, and due to demands for food documentation. The restrictions and demands will be enforced by governments and by the food industry. Farmers will want IT applications that support the operational aspects of farming, i.e. real-time decision support on high-bandwidth wireless Internet connections. E-mail and chat applications enriched by photos, videos and sound will become important elements in a revived agricultural extension service in a future Network Agriculture. (C) 2000 Silsoe Research Institute.