Hungarian Farmers Research Articles

Digitalization and digital technologies: The obstacles to adaptation among Hungarian farmers

Digitalization and digital technologies: The obstacles to adaptation among Hungarian farmers

Climate Change Perception and Innovative Mitigation Practices Adopted by Hungarian Farms

Climate change is becoming a growing concern for the agricultural sector. Variable weather events, such as droughts and floods, are expected to have a significant negative impact on agricultural losses, earnings and consumption. The agriculture industry in Europe is not immune to these difficulties. This study focuses on Hungary, a country with a strong agricultural focus that, as a result, is particularly susceptible to climate change. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to synthesis data about the perspectives of Hungarian farmers on the dangers of climate change. Then, latent variables were employed as explanatory variables in the Logit model to investigate the link between the perceptions of climate change risks by Hungarian farmers and their inclination to adopt innovative ways to mitigate its repercussions. Changes in temperature and precipitation, economic damage, water damage, and insect damage are seen as the most serious repercussions of climate change by Hungarian farmers. These beliefs raise the possibility of adopting new strategies to offset harmful consequences, including (i) the adoption of new varieties, (ii) ice and frost protection, and (iii) the use of agro-meteorological data. The results show that the chance of adopting new varieties is substantially influenced by farmers’ assessments of harm caused by pests, pathogens, and illnesses (2.91***). In contrast, water damage concerns seem to have a significant impact on the adoption of novel approaches to reduce cold and frost damage (2.18***). This study’s findings support the efforts of stakeholders and policymakers to encourage the dissemination of technology to protect crops from climate change in Hungary and imply that governments should provide financial incentives to farmers to boost innovation uptake.

Post-socialist generation change in Hungarian farming

This article uses a 2019 study of FADN-included farm operators in Hungary to explore the interrelated issues of farm succession and the ‘young farmer problem’ (too few young and too many old farmers). Both have gained in significance in today's Hungary (and other formerly collectivised countries of Central and Eastern Europe) as a generation of new private farmers reaches retirement age, roughly three decades after ‘system change’. Because research into the post-socialist transition and subsequent developments has identified the years of cooperative transformation themselves and subsequent EU accession as moments of opportunity for embarking on private farming, respondents were differentiated by ‘age-cohort’, whether they began private farming ‘in their prime’ at Year Zero (1992) or immediately following EU admission (2006) or were older or younger than these groups. Data on economic performance and education indicated that the classic ‘young farmer problem’ does not pertain: Hungarian farmers are old on average but also productive and highly educated. The questionnaire responses suggested that succession was a problem for which farmers were rather ill-prepared and ill-advised, and that the classic farmers' reluctance to hand over management and ownership had re-emerged. It concludes by speculating about different paths to modern farming.

Hungarian Farmers and the Adoption of Precision Farming

Abstract Definitions of precision farming emphasise that it is at the heart of the pursuit of economic, environmental and social sustainability. In our study, precision farming is understood as a form of farming that seeks to optimise and manage efficiently, where technology is the key factor, but is primarily based on human knowledge and willingness to use technology. We discuss precision farming as a social innovation of artificial intelligence. Primarily, the social conditions of the application were the focus of our research, which is characteristically different from economic, financial and productivity approaches. The potential for the application of precision farming varies widely from country to country. Our aim is to analyse the diffusion and limitations of precision farming in Hungary and the motivations of farmers. In our qualitative research, we interviewed 60 precision farmers and 10 experts about their perceptions of precision technology and their motivations and barriers to the use of AI. Our results show that the main barriers to the uptake of precision technologies are the low education level of farmers, their inexperience, low interest level and lack of commitment. They are not aware of the benefits of precision technologies and do not take the time to acquire information and knowledge. There is a lack of willingness to cooperate and a very low level of trust among Hungarian farmers.

Plant growers' environmental consciousness may not be enough to mitigate pollinator declines: a questionnaire-based case study in Hungary.

Pesticides are one of the most important anthropogenic-related stressors. In times of global pollinator decline, the role of integrated farming and urban gardens in supporting wild pollinators is becoming increasingly important. We circulated an online questionnaire to survey plant protection practices among Hungarian farmers and garden owners with a particular emphasis on pollinator protection. We found that plant growers rely heavily on pesticide use, and pesticides are used widely in otherwise pollinator-friendly gardens. Whether pesticide use practices were driven by expert opinion and respondent gender were the best predictors of pesticide use. Although most respondents supported pollinators, pesticides are also used widely among home garden owners, which can pose a non-evident ecological trap for pollinator populations in the gardens. Special attention should be paid to implementing measures to reduce pesticide use not only in farmland, but also in home gardens. Environmental education and financial support through agroecological schemes could efficiently promote the transition away from pesticide use. However, whereas farmers can be encouraged to reduce pesticide use mostly by expert advice, garden owners are likely to rely on more conventional information channels. The attitudes of Hungarian plant growers can provide an insight into pesticide use practices of Central and Eastern European countries, but similar surveys are needed across Europe for a complete understanding of broad-scale processes. This work lays the foundations for similar studies that can inform and facilitate the transformation to pesticide-free farming and gardening. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Transition to Organic Farming: A Case from Hungary

Sustainable agricultural solutions have emerged as feasible options for mitigating the negative environmental impacts created by agricultural production or adapting to inevitable climate change. Organic food production has become one of the most popular sustainable solutions among these. There is also a clear scientific consensus that transformative changes in agricultural systems and practice are needed as a response to the effects of climate change. A great variety of factors that influence the transition to organic farming have been found and identified over time. To understand the dynamics that lead farmers to move to organic farming, it is necessary to examine the relationship between these factors. In this study, we investigated the impacts of certain factors on the possibility of Hungarian farmers’ conversion to organic production in the context of climate change adaptation. This dynamic was studied using descriptive and exploratory techniques on a cross-sectional sample. While the study supported certain well-established facts, it also yielded some surprising findings. One of our findings is that the transition to organic farming does not seem to be motivated by the perception of bad weather events, which is somewhat surprising. This outcome contradicts the frequently claimed idea that organic farming may be a successful adaptation strategy.

Potential of Including Social Farming Initiatives within Agroecological Transition in Hungarian Farms

Abstract The European Model of Agriculture has been developed based on multifunctional agriculture that plays an essential role in increasing the vitality of rural areas in Europe. The agroecological approach is strongly related to multifunctional agriculture as well as social farming that is unique for visualising the social aspect of sustainability in agriculture. This paper aims to explore and evaluate the awareness and attitude of Hungarian farmers, based on indicators derived from in-depth interviews focused on agroecological transition, in order to identify possible spaces for social farming initiatives. For this purpose, the indicators are analysed using the existing 10 elements of agroecology created by FAO as a reference point. The aim of this analysis is to understand which basic element-related practices are preferred, whether social elements are included or not, and to determine which areas need to be strengthened in education in order to encourage farmers to be open to addressing social issues. The results of the research confirm indicators which are present in the daily practices of those farms that do not necessarily identify themselves as social farms. In addition to their willingness to potentially transition to agroecological systems, they have the basic elements and attitude to adopt social farming.

Detection and elimination of viruses infecting sweet potatoes in Hungary

AbstractSweet potato has been grown in Hungary for the last three decades, and its popularity is increasing among farmers and consumers. Its production is hampered by pests and diseases due to poor agricultural practices, such as the use of virus‐infected propagation materials. We tested the presence of 15 viruses by PCR and quantitative PCR in 110 sweet potato plants collected from seven regions in Hungary. Seven viruses in single or multiple infections associated with a wide range of foliar symptoms were detected: sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), sweet potato virus G (SPVG), sweet potato virus C (SPVC), sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato virus 2 (SPV2), sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV), and sweet potato pakakuy virus (SPPV). This is the first report on the occurrence of the begomovirus SPLCV in sweet potatoes in Hungary. The infectivity and identity of these viruses were confirmed through bioassays (grafting to Ipomoea setosa) and sequencing of the PCR‐amplified sections of their genomes, respectively. Due to the necessity for virus‐free sweet potato propagation material in Hungary, virus elimination was carried out successfully in five out of six genotypes important for Hungarian farmers using heat treatment and meristem tip culture. All five viruses detected in the plants before heat treatment were removed except SPPV, which persists after heat treatment. Production and strict regulation of virus‐free sweet potato propagation materials are recommended to avoid exacerbating the virus situation and protect Hungarian farmers from further losses.

Contemporary Challenges to the Organic Farming: A Polish and Hungarian Case Study

From year to year, there is an increasing demand for agricultural produce from certified organic farms. However, Poland and Hungary’s demand for this product is almost twenty times smaller than in Western European countries. The greater the demand by consumers for organic farming products, the more agricultural producers decide to switch from conventional farming to organic farming, and this farming is more environmentally friendly because it uses energy and natural resources responsibly, maintains biodiversity, maintains regional ecological balance, improves soil food, and maintains good water quality. This research aimed to compare the motives and barriers to running organic farms in Poland and Hungary, and the challenges farmers must face to undertake the trouble of running an organic farm. The research was carried out among 400 Polish and 400 Hungarian farmers running organic farms. For statistical calculations, discriminant analysis, as well as single-base and chain indices, were used. The main barriers for establishing organic farms: the necessity to adapt one’s farm to the EU requirements, using only natural fertilizers, low yields, the lack of proper advice, and a high degree of bureaucracy. Therefore, for organic farming to develop, further education is needed, both for farmers and consumers. An important aspect is improving the quality of the regulations and simplifying the administrative burden related to organic farming.

Economic and Social Barriers of Precision Farming in Hungary

Precision farming may play an important role in agricultural innovation. The study focuses on the attitude of Hungarian farmers toward precision farming. Based on the relevant technical literature, we performed a nationally representative questionnaire survey of 594 farmers and deep interviews with experts and farmers (30 persons). As regards the questionnaire, the authors found that the management of the average farm size in Hungary has the highest willingness to innovate and the second highest level of education among the developed clusters. The survey shows undertrained farmers with large farms to be the second most open group, which may result in the partial application of precision farming techniques. One of the most unexpected results of the Precision Farmers’ cluster is that the positive socio-economic utility of precision farming is rated as extremely low. In-depth interviews prove that the use of precision technologies does not increase local social cohesion. Strong organisational isolation of precision farmers prevents the spread of innovation knowledge and precision farming amongst the farming community, and the challenges of competitiveness alone do not force farmers to apply precision farming. Our results may be useful for the establishment of agricultural strategy.

Main Motivational Factors of Farmers Adopting Precision Farming in Hungary

The basic question of our research is what crop-producing farmers know about PF (precision farming), and how economic value and social factors motivate the acceptance and implementation of PF. We conducted a cross-sectional survey, using standardized questionnaires, in 2018, that was nationally representative of Hungarian crop producers. Besides this, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews about the meaning of PF, with the farmers who use PF in practice. They defined it as a tool of strategic planning, to serve input savings, using state-of-the-art technologies. Based on the questionnaire, we found that the farmers currently applying PF do not seem to have such a significant impact on the agricultural society that would make others want to move to precision technology, following their example. As a result of the factor analysis, we could differentiate direct and indirect factors. Potential human resources are undereducated, their willingness to improve their knowledge is low, and the level of cooperation ability is low, making it excessively difficult, or even impossible, to acquire the equipment necessary for a technology switch and to purchase the necessary services. It can be concluded that age, production, and technical usefulness carries greater weight over things like monetary factors, productivity of cultivated land, knowledge capital, and willingness of Hungarian farmers to cooperate.

The importance of social capital in agriculture

The concept of social capital became known in the 1980’s as an immaterial resource in the society and it is also a popular area of sociological and economic researches nowadays. Bourdieu, Coleman, and Putnam created the fundamental conceptions of the social capital. Defining social capital as capital involves the philosophy of serving as a resource for the social network.
 Studies of the rapidly growing economy of East Asia always emphasize the importance of dense social networks. These networks, the unacceptable, the confidential, reduce the transaction costs, speed up the flow of information and innovation. Social capital and financial capital can be converted. The great economic developments in Hungarians in the last century are different from these causes. In Hungary, there is a very low level of cooperation as well as willingness to develop it. Among Western European countries the level of trust is lower than the average. This basic problem is closely related to the low level of trust and social capital in society as a whole. Partnerships and cooperations are essential nowadays as they can be beneficial to the whole society and economy. In addition, the farmers' eagerness to associate is also weak and the options on how to resolve this issue are still not settled.
 Enforcement of the Hungarian peasantry in agricultural cooperatives (1958-1962) left a profound impression on society and its consequences must be taken into account. The good reputation and the credit could be quickly lost; on the contrary recovery – especially rebuild mutual trust- takes more time. Hungarian farmers do not have the confidence to regain each other in the long run. It should be changed, otherwise the majority of the Hungarian farmers will not have the chance to stay competitive.

Organic farming support and its current situationin Hungarian Land Policy

Organic farming is evolving worldwide, both production and consumption growing steadily. Despite the outbreakof this cultivation trend, Hungarian farmers apply only a small extent of the potential opportunities, so theagricultural government wanted to increase the size of the agricultural land in organic farming in line with theEU objectives. The National Rural Strategy for the Development of Ecological Management sets the goal forHungary to increase the area of organic farming to 350,000 hectares by 2020. In order to achieve these goals, thestatus of organic farming should be studied in the Hungarian land policy system. The aim of the research is tocarry out a comprehensive analysis of the consequences in the land policy resulting from the support system oforganic farming. The study presents the most important rules affecting the sector and the aid for agriculture andrural development system. The current CAP runs from 2014 to 2020, so it is particularly interesting to see whatchanges can be expected in the post-2021 support system. The dissertation analyses the new regulation applicableafter 2021 on organic farming, the Regulation 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Applicability and sensitivity of PCR-SSCP method for milk species identification in cheese

Species identification in food has become a prominent issue in recent years as the importance of consumer protection has increased. DNA-based species identification methods were developed by researchers in the last two decades, as these are reliable, accurate, and low-cost techniques for species identification in raw and processed food products as well. In our study, universal primers were designed to conserved regions of mitochondrial 12S rRNA. Amplicons were heat-denatured and a PCR single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) method was developed to identify cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goat DNA. Sensitivity of this technique was tested on DNA mixtures of cattle-sheep, cattle-goat, and cattle-buffalo and the threshold limit of cattle DNA was 5%, 5%, and 3%, respectively. One hundred and five cheeses were purchased and collected from Bosnian and Hungarian farmers, retails, and supermarkets to reveal fraud, 32 percent of them (34 cheeses) were found to be mislabelled by species.

Külföldi idénymunkások a magyar agrárgazdaságban

A tanulmány egy folyamatban lévő OTKA-kutatás keretében elemzi az agrárfoglalkoztatás szerkezetében végbement változások kapcsolatát a nemzetközi migrációs folyamattal, a külföldi idénymunkások szerepvállalását a magyar mezőgazdaságban. A tanulmány bemutatja a migráns mezőgazdasági idénymunkások számában és összetételében végbement változás folyamatát, munkavállalásuk térbeli jellegzetességét és a kapitalizmuskori munkaszervezési formákkal együtt újraéledő termelői hálózatokat, valamint a munkavállaló és foglalkoztató között kialakult kapcsolat sajátos formáit.Az agrárium strukturális átalakulása, az üzemek számának és munkaerőigényének ugrásszerű növekedése az idénymunka piacának kialakulásához, új munkavállalói csoportok megjelenéséhez és a hagyományos munkaszervezési formák újraéledéséhez, felerősödéséhez vezetett. Az agrárfoglalkoztatás szerkezetének átalakulása egy időben zajlott a nemzetközi migráció kiterjedésével, melybe a szomszédos országok állampolgárai is bekapcsolódtak. Az olcsó bérezésű, a foglalkoztató szükségleteihez rugalmasan alkalmazkodó munkavállalók között a külföldi – döntőrészt romániai – idénymunkások megjelenése a kapcsolati hálók, a munkaszervezési formák térbeli, országhatárt átlépő kiterjesztéséhez, gazdagodásához, a rendelkezésre álló munkások számának emelkedéséhez vezetett. A külföldi idénymunkások számának csökkenésével, etnikai és társadalmi összetételének változásával a migránsokat mozgató termelői hálózatok részben meggyengültek, részben differenciálódtak, de vannak olyan térségek is, ahol teljesen eltűntek. Bármennyire is látványos a külföldi munkások számának csökkenése a munkaerőhiányos térségekben, amíg a két ország között létező bér- és jövedelmi különbségek nem csökkennek, a romániai napszámosok a magyar gazdaságok munkaerő-utánpótlását biztosítják. A migráns mezőgazdasági idénymunkások heterogén csoportjai között az elmúlt másfél évtizedben végbement a foglalkoztató számára értékes munkavállalói kör kiválasztódása, melynek tagjai eltérő formában kötődnek a munkát biztosító gazdaságokhoz, termelőkhöz.

Farmers’ Perception of Precision Farming Technology among Hungarian Farmers

Many technologies have appeared in agriculture to reduce the harmful effects of chemical use. One of these technologies is precision farming technology. Precision farming technology should not be considered as only the latest plant production technology or only a new agro-management tool. It is achieved only when the results of electronics and IT equipment are realized in the variable rate treatments zone-by-zone. The advantages and disadvantages of this technology highly depend on the heterogeneity of soil, the knowledge and attitude of the manager and the staff. This is the reason why opinions about the technology effects are so wide. This paper shows the results of the investigation based on interviews about the adoption and knowledge of precision farming technology among Hungarian crop producers. This technology is mostly used by farms over 300 hectares with young farmers. The most characteristic elements were precision fertilization and tractor guidance. The survey examined three groups of farmers with respect to whether they apply precision farming elements or not. We refer to them as “users”, “planners” and “non-users”. According to the survey, the opinions of the “user” and the “non-user” groups of farmers are not significantly different regarding the impacts of precision farming technology (the main advantages were the change in yield quantity, chemical usage and income). Furthermore, the opinions of the farmers regarding the changes in variable costs resulting from the adoption of precision farming technology were also examined (measured in percent). Box-plot analysis was used for this examination. According to the opinion of the “user” group of farmers, the highest cost savings occurred in fertilizer and herbicide costs.

Complex Agricultural Risk Management System: a new information system supporting the claim adjustment process in the Hungarian agriculture

On an annual basis the magnitude of the weather-related risks of the Hungarian farmers approaches the 100 billion HUF. It is about 5 percent of the 2200 billion HUF annual gross output value of the agriculture. It is a continuous tendency that the climate factors are more and more significantly influencing the crop production. Therefore, reducing the risks related to the weather is an important objective of the agricultural administration. For this purpose the agricultural administration is trying to reach this goal by forming risk-management groups for the producers, by strengthening the liability for their decisions, and also by providing more significant support by the agricultural administration. The new system is based on two pillars: the first pillar is an extended mitigation system, and the second pillar is a business-based, but also state-sponsored insurance system. First, the study describes the agricultural risk management situation in general, then the partially "paper-based" coordinated mitigation system which was launched in 2012, and finally the integrated mitigation system which is being under development at the moment. The study reveals that in recent years the risk management of agriculture has been going through important changes, in particular, significant reduction in the administrative burden for both farmers and public administration, improvement of the accuracy of the agricultural meteorological risk evaluation, as well as a developed agricultural risk database serves as a reliable basis for the public decision-making.

Differences in farmer’s information consumption and ICT-use – a qualitative research

Farming has now been placed in a new framework: farm managers have had to increasingly devote attention to and interact with the external world. Numerous studies have showed that information and communication technologies (ICT) can play a vital role in realizing benefits with more effective information management at the farm level. Besides land, labour and capital, sufficient information has become a critical factor for agricultural producer. The article presents the findings of a focus-group research which aim was to discover the main characteristics of information consumption and ICT-adoption among Hungarian farmers.

A comparison of the Hungarian mangalitza and dutch organic pork chains

The aim of this paper is to present the Hungarian mangalitza pig and Dutch organic pig supply chains and, in interrogating the differences between the two sectors, to make suggestions for the efficient operation of the Hungarian mangalitza breeding sector. The information about the two was sourced by a depth interview and literature reviews. It is established that there are few similarities between the two segments. In both sectors, the pigs are kept outdoors in large paddocks, there are also National Associations: in Hungary, the Association of Mangalitza Breeders (NAMB), in The Netherlands, the Organic Pork Growers. They hold a general meeting every year, where they discuss issues such as volume, quality, price, marketing and the future challenges and opportunities. There is strong demand both for the mangalitza and also for Dutch organic pork products on foreign markets. The main difference between them is their information systems. In The Netherlands, information flows via FarmingNet, but in the mangalitza sector, no such system exists. Yet, such a system would represent a breaking point for the adequate flow of data and efficient production for the NAMB, because then, Hungarian farmers would be forced to supply data.

New environment-friendly and cost-saving fertiliser recommendation system for supporting sustainable agriculture in Hungary and beyond

In the current economic situation the former, intensive fertiliser recommendation system is unfit to help Hungarian farmers in their fertilising practice. The aim of the new system has been to apply the lowest possible NPK rates required to achieve safe and high yields as well as allowing minimal agricultural NP losses to surface and subsurface waters. The new system was developed by using the correlations revealed by analyzing the results of long-term fertilisation experiments set up in Hungary between 1960 and 2000. Several field experiments as well as comparative analyses confirmed the correctness of the basic principles as well as of the methods of calculating fertiliser rates of the new system. An estimated amount of 3,200,000 € was saved for the Hungarian farmers in 2007 alone by giving recommendations for more than 160,000 ha arable land applying the new system.