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THE ROLE OF DIGITALIZATION IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Views:0ICT, digital and smart tools are an integral part of a competitive agriculture in the 21st century. The world's population is growing, which also means that demand for food will increase, so there is a need to increase agricultural productivity (increasing output/input factor efficiency), for which technological innovation is essential. An important aspect is that some factors of production in agriculture are limited (land, water, etc.), so a fundamental issue for farmers in agriculture is how to carry out their agricultural activities in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Innovative and modern solutions are needed to increase productivity in agriculture in a sustainable way. Digitalisation, of which data and the information derived from data are an integral part, is the basis for these innovative solutions. Technological progress and digitalisation are making a major contribution to the emergence of sustainable agriculture. The aim of the present study is to briefly describe the development and milestones of agriculture, based on a literature review, and to highlight the importance of agricultural digitisation, especially from the perspective of sustainable agriculture.
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The economic and social role of private farms in Hungarian agriculture
33-41Views:360The situation and importance of private farms in Hungary have significantly changed and are still changing due to the political and economic regime change of 1989-90 and subsequent events. The aim of this study is to provide – unlike the practice of the last two decades – an impartial review of the social and economic role of Hungarian private farms. To demonstrate the changes occurring in private farms, we rely on the data of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO-KSH)such as the General Structure Surveys, the Farm Structure Surveys, and tables from the online stADAT database.
From the point of view of methodology, time series analyses (2000–2010) were performed in the framework of this secondary research. Our hypothesis that private farms in Hungary deserve much more attention than previously, from the perspective of the output of Hungarian agriculture, food consumption and, last but not least, employment (the environmental factor was not examined this time) has been clearly confirmed. The role and significance of this group have also been exceedingly important since EU accession, particularly in the fields of horticulture and animal husbandry, and the strengthening of these positions is indisputably a national economic interest. -
Bioenergy: Risks to food-, energy- and environmental security
121-130Views:645There are growing opportunities and demands for the use of biomass to provide additional renewables, energy for heat, power and fuel, pharmaceuticals and green chemical feedstocks. However, the worldwide potential of bioenergy is limited, because all land is multifunctional, and land is also needed for food, feed, timber and fiber production, and for nature conservation and climate protection. The recent expansion of the bioenergy industries together with a strong increase in many commodity prices has raised concerns over the land use choices between energy needs and food and feed. New systems of energy production must be developed based on cost of environmental damage due to production and use of fossil energy and certain chemicals and materials. This article presents risks to food and energy security, estimates of bioenergy potential and the challenges of the environmental and social impact associated with expansions in bioenergy production.