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It is believed that provision of document delivery services should be an integral part of the supply of bibliographic databases. After the implementation of a national agricultural information project funded by the Asian Development Bank, which provided Chinese agricultural research and training institutions with CD‐ROM workstations and databases, CAB International and its Chinese counterpart began to look into the feasibility of establishing a document delivery service in China. The paper presents the results of a survey conducted as a part of the feasibility study and gives a critical overview of China’s document delivery services provided in the agricultural sector.

This paper is based on the second of a two‐part report on a British Library Research and Development funded project which surveyed the information needs of, and provision for industry, commerce and agriculture in Northern Ireland. This article examines information provision for the agricultural sector while part one was concerned with the industrial and commercial sectors. The main information providers to the agricultural sector were identified as the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, The Ulster Farmers Union, The Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association, The Milk Marketing Board, The Livestock Marketing Commission and the agricultural education and research establishments. Each of these providers were interviewed as was a 2% sample of farmers throughout Northern Ireland. The survey of farmers showed that for the most part, farmers were satisfied with the present level of provision. It was noticeable that their information needs were not as acute as those of the industrial and commercial sectors. This could be attributed to the fact that most farms in Northern Ireland are small and there is a heavy reliance on tradition. Most farmers surveyed were of the impression that the information was available if needed. It was entirely coincidental that this survey was conducted at a time when active consideration was being given to the possible imposition of charges for the Department of Agriculture Advisory Services. Farmers rated the present advisory services quite highly, although few were aware of the full range of services available to them. This survey should be a useful pointer to existing trends in the use of services and should also indicate gaps in provision.

Despite the vast potential of mobile phone use, grape smallholder farmers’ satisfaction with mobile phone use has attracted insufficient attention among scholars in Tanzania. The study examined factors influencing satisfaction with mobile phone use for accessing agricultural marketing information.

The study used a cross-sectional research design and a mixed research method. Structured questionnaire and focus group discussions were used to collect primary data from 400 sampled grape smallholder farmers. Data were analysed inferentially involving two-way analysis of variance, ordinal logistic regression and thematic analysis.

The findings indicate a statistically significant disparity in grape smallholder farmers’ satisfaction across different types of agricultural marketing information. Grape smallholder farmers exhibited higher satisfaction levels concerning information on selling time compared to all other types of agricultural marketing information (price, buyers, quality and quantity). Factors influencing grape smallholder farmers’ satisfaction with mobile phone use were related to perceived usefulness, ease of use, experience and cost.

This study contributes to scientific knowledge by providing actionable insights for formulating unique strategies for smallholder farmers’ satisfaction with agricultural marketing information.

Factors influencing the use of mobile phone technologies for agricultural market information access remain a mixed debate, and there are contradictive views among studies. This study examined factors influencing the use of mobile phone technologies for agricultural marketing information access. The study is anchored on the technological acceptance model (TAM).

A descriptive cross-sectional research design was adopted with a sample size of 400 grape smallholder farmers. A structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to gather data. Descriptive, ordinal logistic regression and thematic approaches were used in data analysis.

The study confirmed grape smallholder farmers generally considered mobile phone technologies as an appropriate communication channel to stay informed about agricultural marketing information. It was found that reliable electricity supply, relevance, timeliness, perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) of mobile phone technologies influenced the level of agricultural marketing information access.

This research is limited to a selected number of grape smallholder farmers in Dodoma, Tanzania, and leaves out those without mobile phones. Also, the study was cross-sectional in nature, so it may not be necessarily capable of consistently providing critical and consistent information about the same population over a series of times.

This study contributes to the body of knowledge by integrating the use of mobile phone technologies to access marketing information in informing policy and decision-making processes to promote grape marketing.

In a volatile agricultural postharvest market, producers require more personalized information about market dynamics for informed decisions on the marketed surplus. However, this adaptive strategy fails to benefit them if the selection of a computational price predictive model to disseminate information on the market outlook is not efficient, and the associated risk of perishability, and storage cost factor are not assumed against the seemingly favourable market behaviour. Consequently, the decision of whether to store or sell at the time of crop harvest is a perennial dilemma to solve. With the intent of addressing this challenge for agricultural producers, the study is focused on designing an agricultural decision support system (ADSS) to suggest a favourable marketing strategy to crop producers.

The present study is guided by an eclectic theoretical perspective from supply chain literature that included agency theory, transaction cost theory, organizational information processing theory and opportunity cost theory in revenue risk management. The paper models a structured iterative algorithmic framework that leverages the forecasting capacity of different time series and machine learning models, considering the effect of influencing factors on agricultural price movement for better forecasting predictability against market variability or dynamics. It also attempts to formulate an integrated risk management framework for effective sales planning decisions that factors in the associated costs of storage, rental and physical loss until the surplus is held for expected returns.

Empirical demonstration of the model was simulated on the dynamic markets of tomatoes, onions and potatoes in a north Indian region. The study results endorse that farmer-centric post-harvest information intelligence assists crop producers in the strategic sales planning of their produce, and also vigorously promotes that the effectiveness of decision making is contingent upon the selection of the best predictive model for every future market event.

As a policy implication, the proposed ADSS addresses the pressing need for a robust marketing support system for the socio-economic welfare of farming communities grappling with distress sales, and low remunerative returns.

Based on the extant literature studied, there is no such study that pays personalized attention to agricultural producers, enabling them to make a profitable sales decision against the volatile post-harvest market scenario. The present research is an attempt to fill that gap with the scope of addressing crop producer's ubiquitous dilemma of whether to sell or store at the time of harvesting. Besides, an eclectic and iterative style of predictive modelling has also a limited implication in the agricultural supply chain based on the literature; however, it is found to be a more efficient practice to function in a dynamic market outlook.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the efficient ways to solve the problems on information sharing in the supply chain of agricultural products. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

In this paper, a scheme of information sharing in the supply chain of agricultural products is developed and the information of agricultural products is designed and described with Physical Markup Language.

In addition, the EPC Information Services (EPCIS) system of agricultural products is analyzed and designed, and the design of tracking and tracing of the agricultural supply chain based on the IoT is proposed. Meanwhile, EPCDS registration is discussed, and two methods of information inquiry are proposed, especially the processes of inquiries for the static and dynamic information based on Object Name Service are emphasized.

Once a food safety incident occurs, the model can be used for tracking, tracing, and monitoring so as to deal with related products and strengthen the quality and safety management of agricultural products.

Internet + and Electronic Business in China is a comprehensive resource that provides insight and analysis into E-commerce in China and how it has revolutionized and continues to revolutionize business and society. Split into four distinct sections, the book first lays out the theoretical foundations and fundamental concepts of E-Business before moving on to look at internet+ innovation models and their applications in different industries such as agriculture, finance and commerce. The book then provides a comprehensive analysis of E-business platforms and their applications in China before finishing with four comprehensive case studies of major E-business projects, providing readers with successful examples of implementing E-Business entrepreneurship projects.

Internet + and Electronic Business in China is a comprehensive resource that provides insights and analysis into how E-commerce has revolutionized and continues to revolutionize business and society in China.

Stresses the importance of sharing agricultural information, particularly in the Third World. Indicates present agencies promoting co‐operation in Africa, and presents prospects for developing a more systematic and comprehensive system of documentary co‐operation for agricultural information.

This study aimed to find out the information needs of illiterate female farmers in Ethiope East local government area of Delta State, Nigeria. Agriculture is the mainstay of people in the rural areas, and is mostly for subsistence living. To bring about improvement in practice requires finding out: at what stages of farming illiterate female farmers need agricultural information; through which channels they receive agricultural information; the problems they encounter when they need information; and how the problem can be solve.

The study sample consisted of 200 illiterate female farmers. Data was collected via structured questionnaire, which was read and translated to the illiterate female farmers in their local dialect, Urhobo.

Analysis of the data revealed that the illiterate female farmers do not have access to information because the agricultural extension services unit fails to visit them and provide the required agricultural information. Cassava is the major crop produced by illiterate female farmers in the Abraka and Agbon clans. Community/opinion leaders and children of farmers are the main sources of agricultural information for illiterate female farmers. Lack of funds to purchase radio/television so as to have access to programmes on better farming techniques was a major problem; as was the lack of a mobile library to visit the farmers and provide necessary agricultural information.

Highlights the problems of illiterate indigenous people accessing information on agriculture that if applied should lift them above subsistence level.

The British Library Research and Development Report Information systems in UK agriculture presents the findings of a committee of fifteen agricultural scientists and information specialists, assisted by a research officer, who collaborated during the two‐year period 1976–8 to review the information system in agriculture in the UK.