GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS IN AGRICULTURE ON THE EXAMPLE OF BULGARIAN FARMERS
Keywords:
innovation, global value chains, agriculture, in-deep interviewsAbstract
The national and global political and health situation has outlined the strong dependence of Europe on
foreign markets, especially in key sectors such as agriculture. The European Union's vision is focused on the
development of local value chains in order to create closer links between rural and urban communities. In this
respect, the possibilities of artificial intelligence technologies are the prospect for the development of agriculture in
the food supply chain. In terms of the supply chain, the EU emphasizes the need for innovation (for example in
precision agriculture) to address the "high costs" of developing certain technologies.
The main goal of the paper is to study the attitudes of Bulgarian agricultural producers regarding the implementation
of innovations, as a factor for their participation in a global value chain.
The adopted research methods are based on logical, deductive, and comparative methods, as well as on the methods
of analysis and synthesis. For the purposes of the empirical research, data from individual, in-depth, unstructured
interviews of farmers in Bulgaria are presented.
The results of the interviews are indicative of the fact that Bulgarian agricultural producers, produce products in an
amount sufficient for the local market, which is why they do not need to participate in a global value chain.
However, there is a lack of awareness about the benefits of innovation and the long-term efficiency of participation
in global chains. The main barriers to the implementation of innovation are the lack of financial resources, lack of
"need" or lack of sufficient competencies to use them.
Recommendations drawn from the analyzed data are: to be increased awareness regarding the benefits of global
value chains among Bulgarian farmers, the proposed innovations and digital tools to be tailored to the level of digital
competencies and skills of farmers. In addition, it is necessary the technologies and innovative solutions, offered on
the market, to be adapted to the needs of micro, small and medium-sized farms, so that they can be accessible and
effective for producers.
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