POW Number: 1.G
July 1, 2002

POW Title: Effective and Efficient Use of Technology

Situation Statement:

New technologies are constantly being developed that promise increased production, production efficiency, and better protection of both agricultural production and nonagricultural land for sustained use without damage. Traditional production methods that provided sufficient crop yield in the past, have in some cases proven to be detrimental to animal and human health and to urban and rural land, as well as to ground and surface water supplies. Soil erosion and chemical transport from production lands have caused damage to riverine and esturine habitat and to water supplies.

To maintain an agricultural production base that is competitive in a global economy, yet protects the private farmer's social structure and economic well being, requires the implementation of rational and cost-competitive innovative technologies. These emerging technologies need evaluation in a broad base of applications throughout the United States under a variety of production conditions and soil types. As these technologies are developed and evaluated in the private sector and within the public educational/research institutions, these technologies need to be transferred to the public for adoption.

New technologies fall into two broad categories, (1) technologies for production, efficiency, profitability, and sustainability for agricultural systems, and (2) information dissemination and information management. These two technical areas represent a variety of tools (tools include global positioning systems; geographic information systems; remote sensing; environmental control systems; irrigation systems; weather data collection systems; information management systems; and Internet information transfer) that the public can use in moving forward into a much more technical and computer-based future. The user base, the public, may be urban residents, rural nonagricultural residents, agricultural production families or agribusiness companies.

SUB-POW: 1.G.1. Evaluation and Dissemination of Technology for Production, Efficiency, Profitability, and Sustainability of the Agricultural Systems

Objective: 1.G.1.1. To increase awareness and applicability of technology in agricultural systems.

Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):

    1. Number of participants/contacts.
    2. Number of participants who can identify the importance of agricultural technologies.

Special Indicators (suggested by the POW team):

  1. Number of participants evaluating the importance of agricultural technologies.
  2. Number of participants evaluating the cost of adoption of agricultural technologies.
  3. Percentage of identified target population exposed to information through technologies.

Objective: 1.G.1.2. To increase the adoption of new practices using technology in agricultural systems to insure sustainability.

Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):

  1. Number of participants/contacts.
  2. Number of participants who adopt/use new practices using technologies.

Special Indicators (suggested by the POW team):

  1. Percentage of target population adopting/using technologies.
  2. Number of participants adopting newer sprayer technology.
  3. Number of participants implementing GIS/GPS tools in agricultural systems.
  4. Number of participants using other agricultural system technologies (e.g. temperature-weather technologies, water conservation technologies, environmental control systems, etc.).

 

SUB-POW: 1.G.2. Information Dissemination and Information Management

Objective: 1.G.2.1. To enhance the use of electronic communication to access agricultural information.

Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):

    1. Number of participants/contacts.
    2. Number of participants using computer technologies.

Special Indicators (suggested by the POW team):

  1. Percentage of target population using computer technologies.
  2. Numbers of participants that use the Internet.
  3. Number of participants that use electronic mail.

Objective: 1.G.2.2. To enhance the use of information management technology

Output/Outcome Indicators (These indicators will be captured in the database for FY2003):

  1. Number of participants/contacts.
  2. Number of participants using technology to manage agricultural systems.

Special Indicators (suggested by the POW team):

  1. Number of participants participating in electronic information dissemination through bulletin boards for agricultural information.

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