SGER: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: The Internet & the U.S. Agricultural System

Kansas State University, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Abstract

Internet applications are being rapidly developed and adopted for use in the US agricultural system. Yet, to date, there has been little research or theoretical development concerning the impacts of Internet technology on the structure of value chains in agriculture. The primary goal of this SGER project is to inductively construct theoretical models of agricultural value chains and to show the impacts of Internet development on them. This goal will be accomplished through two complementary activities. First, a literature review will be done to understand the adoption and subsequent impacts of two other major network technologies - electrification and telephony -- in rural areas. This review will provide insight into agricultural value chains, how previous technologies have impacted them and the types of impacts that could be expected from the adoption of the Internet. The second activity will be to: 1) understand how firms producing agricultural inputs, marketing agricultural commodities, or processing food products use the Internet to provide information, goods, and services to farmers and ranchers; and 2) analyze the impacts of the Internet on value chains within the US agricultural system.