An analysis of factors affecting the adoption of economic and productive data recording methods of Chilean farmers

A. Engler, and R. Toledo. 2010. An analysis of factors affecting the adoption of economic and productive data recording methods of Chilean farmers. Cien. Inv. Agr. 37(2): 101- 109. Integration of the Chilean domestic economy into international markets has created the need to incorporate more technology, information, and management tools and to generate better entrepreneurial skills at the farm level. These changes require the development of strategic capabilities and farmer changes in attitude. The goal for farmers is to be more prepared for the decision-making process and to have adequate evaluation and control systems to face the complexity of the farm business. The literature suggests that using management tools positively correlates with profits and concludes that management skills are positively related to farmers' well-being. Survey information on 211 farmers from central and southern Chile was used to estimate a probit model where the dependent variable was record-keeping by farmers. The results show that the farmers' educational level, age, membership a Technological Transfer Group, land leasing, and the farmers' own perception of their aversion to risk are statistically significant variables in the model. The model goodness of fit is 0.41, and the model has good predictive power for groups of farmers.