Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Fall 2021

Keywords

Agribusiness, Agricultural Technology, Precision Agriculture, Workforce Development, Retail PA Services Industry

Abstract

This literature review focuses on the role of the precision agriculture (PA) custom services industry in facilitating farmer adoption of PA technology. Based on the review, a series of stylized facts are developed that characterize the custom services industry's role in the PA adoption process in the United States. The literature suggests that increasing the availability of custom services in local agricultural production markets will positively influence the rate of PA adoption. Recent PA custom services industry field surveys, however, indicate that skilled labor, proficient in PA technology, is critical to develop and provide custom services needed to increase the supply of PA services to farmers. These surveys suggest that currently there is a shortage of qualified labor to work in the PA custom services sector. The PA labor issue appears to pose a potential barrier to the provision of PA technical training desired by customers, and the deployment of PA custom services to customers who have adopted or are considering the adoption of PA technology.

Publication Title

Western Economics Forum

Volume

19

Issue

2

First Page

59

Last Page

68

Publisher

Western Agricultural Economics Association

Rights

© 2021 The Authors

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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