E-commerce in the agricultural sector
A report reviewing current applications of the Internet in agriculture and the food industry and considering its prospects for the future and developments in a European context has recently been published by the European Commission.. 'It is predicted there will be around 25,000 operational e-commerce sites by 2001. Of these, it is estimated between 1000 and 1500 will be for agriculture and food sector. In the US, it is estimated that 14 per cent of commerce in agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries will be on-line by 2005,' reports the Commission. According to the report, such developments have the potential to bring change to organisational structures. But it may be difficult to gain insights from more advanced industries or from agricultural developments abroad, 'given the diverse and fragmented nature of European agriculture'. This is particularly the case when comparing European farm structures with those in the United States, which currently leads e-commerce developments, say the authors.