Measuring the Level of Digitalization in Agriculture: Identification Indicators and Scaling to Determine the Digitalization Level of Farmers

Abstract

Technological developments have accelerated the use of information and communication technologies in the agricultural sector as in all other sectors. However, there is still a lack of information in the literature on measuring the level of digital technology usage by farmers. This study will help to eliminate the lack of information on the indicators and their weights that can be used to determine the level of digitalisation of farmers. The aim of the study is to determine the indicators to be used in measuring the level of digital technology use, the sub-dimensions of these indicators, and the weights of these indicators. The constant-sum scale and expert opinions were used to determine the indicators and their weights to be used in measuring the level of digitalisation. The level of agreement of the opinions expressed by different experts about different digitalisation level indicators and their weights was revealed with the help of Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance. The study results showed that the indicators of internet access facilities, internet speed, smartphone ownership, mobile internet usage, and the ability to use office programs are important variables in measuring the level of digitalisation. The study determined eight main indicators to measure the level of digitalisation and 96 indicators under them, and their weights were put forward. By using the digitalisation indicators and their weights, it will be possible to measure the level of digitalisation in agricultural enterprises reliably.