仮想カタログ法によるIT生産管理サービスの評価―稲作経営体における収穫・水管理・施肥を対象として―

<p>We used a virtual catalog-based questionnaire to evaluate the attitude of rice farm managers to an information technology (IT)-based production management service. With the data, we assessed the likelihood of adoption of IT-controlled combine harvesters, paddy field sensors, automatic water supply systems, and fertilizer pouring machine on rice farms, by using cross-tabulation analysis, the Mann–Whitney <i>U</i>-test, and McNemar's test. More than 60% of farm managers showed an interest in or an intention to test these technologies; this result suggests a strong need among farm managers to improve yields. We identified a difference between farm managers and extension organizations in the desire to identify low-yielding paddies and the need for advice on increasing yields. Extension organizations were more likely to stay at the interest stage without recommending trials to test the merits of reducing the frequency of paddy visits to assess water management. To build a model for the diffusion of IT production management services, it is important for extension organizations to recognize the characteristics of farmer and managers.</p>