Entrepreneurial profile and precision agriculture in the Argentinean pampas: the Province of Buenos Aires case.

Abstract

This article analyzes the adoption of precision agriculture (PA) in the Pampas region of Argentina, focusing on the province of Buenos Aires based on a survey conducted in 2017-2018 with a total of 265 agricultural producers and the results of qualitative fieldwork carried out between September 2017 and January 2018. The study seeks to identify adoption trajectories, their economic and institutional drivers, as well as the main characteristics of adopters, looking at the differences with non-adopters. It also seeks to understand the different groups of adopters by considering the sophistication of the technologies used. The article is structured in three sections: first, the analytical framework is described, discussing on the one hand the theories of adoption and on the other hand describing the construction of an adoption indicator of precision technologies. Second, the data used are analyzed and the main results of the survey conducted on the adoption of AP are discussed. Likewise, the opinions of the different groups of adopters on the observed benefits (monetary and non-monetary) of the incorporated technological innovations are presented. In conclusion, we point out the sustainability challenges that this sector still faces.