A recent national survey by a Lincoln University researcher shows that 67% of farmers now have a computer.
Previous Lincoln University surveys put the figure at 24% in 1993, 43% in 1998, and in 2001 the ownership figure was 55%. In the earlier years the growth was 4.5% per year, whereas it is now down to 3%, says Associate Professor Peter Nuthall of Lincoln University’s Farm Management Group, who carried out the study.
Associate Professor Nuthall noted that the changing uptake rates were following the traditional sigmoid curve. Uptake starts slowly, increases rapidly, and then slows again.
“Clearly we are into the later slowing stage,” he says.
“In the case of computers, however, you might expect uptake rates to be maintained. With improving technology, world wide web facilities, and increasing industry involvement you might expect the benefits of computer use to increase. This should have reversed the traditional slowing trend.”
The survey also showed that broadband use was quite low at 11% of computer owners. Rural access availability and quality is probably a factor in this low figure, says Associate Professor Nuthall.
The main use of farm computers remains with financial recording. Some 77% of farmers use them for this function as their main computer task. Cash flow and budget calculations were also important. Financial recording used 7.4 hours per month, and cash flows 2.6 hours.
On average computer users spent 23 hours per month at the keyboard. This is about one five-hour session per week showing that computer systems are an integral part of farm management.
Little more than half of the computer owners make use of internet banking and only 15% use internet purchasing.
Computing also seems to be largely a farm office affair with only 5% of farmers using a hand held field computer.
Besides financial recording, emailing (70%) and use of the world wide web (68%) are important activities.
While progress has been made, Associate Professor Peter Nuthall says there is still a long way to go in fully utilising the ever developing computer technology and systems.
“In the end, farmers are very practical people who will only use computer systems that provide obvious concrete benefits.
“Some of the currently available systems have yet to demonstrate clear advantages from their use. There are many challenges for people providing useful systems for farmers, and for developing training and support systems.”
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Ian Collins, Journalist
Lincoln University, Canterbury
Tel: 64 3 325 2811 ext 8549
Email: Ian Collins