ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF DIGITALIZATION IN SERBIAN AGRICULTURE: FARMERS’ ATTITUDES

Natasa Kljajić; Vesna Paraušić; Zorana Stanković

doi:10.59267/ekoPolj2403943K

Authors

Natasa Kljajić Institute of Agriculture Economics, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2245-8285
Vesna Paraušić Institute of Agriculture Economics, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6193-5297
Zorana Stanković Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Niš, Niš, Republic of Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8974-3916

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2403943K

Keywords:

digitalization, agriculture, agricultural managers, economic sustainability

Abstract

One of the ways to achieve economic, environmental, and social sustainability in agriculture is to introduce digitalization in the production process or its digital transformation. The primary research objective in this paper is to obtain empirical knowledge about the various economic aspects of investing in digitalization in Serbian agriculture. The research relies on interviews conducted in the period April-October 2023 using a semi-structured questionnaire, covering a sample of 53 agricultural holdings on the entire territory of Serbia. The results show that the interviewed farm managers do not show a high degree of satisfaction with the achieved level of digitalization on the farms they manage. Nevertheless, based on the analysis of economic parameters of investment in digital solutions (return on investment period, perceived benefits, costs, investment limitations, financial support), the largest percentage of respondents (56.6%) intends to intensify investments in digitalization on their farm in the next period.

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