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Dr. Marius Michels
Georg August University of Göttingen

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0 Economics
0 Precision Agriculture
0 Technology Adoption
0 risk management
0 Digitalisation

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Precision Agriculture
Technology Adoption
risk management

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Conference paper
Published: 25 June 2021 in Precision agriculture ’21
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ACS Style

M. Michels; O. Musshoff. 106. The timing of smartphone adoption in German agriculture. Precision agriculture ’21 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

M. Michels, O. Musshoff. 106. The timing of smartphone adoption in German agriculture. Precision agriculture ’21. 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

M. Michels; O. Musshoff. 2021. "106. The timing of smartphone adoption in German agriculture." Precision agriculture ’21 , no. : 1.

Article
Published: 27 April 2021 in Precision Agriculture
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Drones are one of the latest tools to have been added to farmers’ precision agriculture technology tool kit. Despite the proclaimed benefits, adoption rates of drones are low and literature regarding the adoption of drones in agriculture is scarce. Therefore, this study investigates whether an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can contribute to the understanding of latent factors influencing farmers’ intention to adopt a drone. The sample of 167 German farmers was collected in 2019 via an online survey. Using partial least squares structural equation modelling and a binary model, the TAM explains 69% of the variance in the intention to use a drone by German farmers. According to the results, raising farmers’ awareness of farm-specific areas of drone application and the confidence level of using a drone can increase farmers’ intention to adopt a drone. The results are of interest for agribusinesses developing drones as well as selling or providing drones. Furthermore, the results are of interest for researchers in precision agriculture technologies.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Paul Johann Weller von Ahlefeld; Oliver Musshoff. The adoption of drones in German agriculture: a structural equation model. Precision Agriculture 2021, 1 -21.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Cord-Friedrich von Hobe, Paul Johann Weller von Ahlefeld, Oliver Musshoff. The adoption of drones in German agriculture: a structural equation model. Precision Agriculture. 2021; ():1-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Paul Johann Weller von Ahlefeld; Oliver Musshoff. 2021. "The adoption of drones in German agriculture: a structural equation model." Precision Agriculture , no. : 1-21.

Communication
Published: 10 February 2021 in Land
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Despite the popularity of agricultural land markets as a research topic, a current literature review on price drivers on agricultural land rental markets is missing, which is crucial in order to gain an overview of the status quo. Furthermore, farmers’ perceptions of price drivers on agricultural land rental markets have not been considered sufficiently. Therefore, this study combines descriptive results from a survey with 156 German farmers conducted during 2019–2020 using purposive sampling and a systematic literature review. The systematic literature review reveals four important areas acting as price drivers in agricultural land rental markets: policy/Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), bioenergy, climate change, and market prices/competition. Based on the overview, several points of departure for further research are provided. Furthermore, results from the survey show that farmers’ perceptions of the relative importance of the price drivers differ from the results of scientific literature. Therefore, perceptions of farmers should be considered for possible policy interventions derived from scientific evidence.

ACS Style

Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. German Farmers’ Perspectives on Price Drivers in Agricultural Land Rental Markets—A Combination of a Systematic Literature Review and Survey Results. Land 2021, 10, 180 .

AMA Style

Cord-Friedrich von Hobe, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. German Farmers’ Perspectives on Price Drivers in Agricultural Land Rental Markets—A Combination of a Systematic Literature Review and Survey Results. Land. 2021; 10 (2):180.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2021. "German Farmers’ Perspectives on Price Drivers in Agricultural Land Rental Markets—A Combination of a Systematic Literature Review and Survey Results." Land 10, no. 2: 180.

Communication
Published: 03 February 2021 in Sustainability
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A decline in the legume cultivation has contributed to the biodiversity loss within the agricultural production across Europe. One possibility to include legumes into the production and promote sustainability is mixed cropping with legumes and non-legumes. However, the adoption of mixed cropping is challenging for farmers and information about the profitability is scarce. If mixed cropping should become a widely established production method, it is essential to gain an understanding of famers’ evaluation of the profitability mixed cropping needs to reach. Therefore, this article provides first empirical insights into farmers stated willingness to accept gross margin changes compared to current production possibilities. Based on a survey with results from 134 German non-adopters conducted in 2018 we can distinguish conventional farmers with a positive, neutral and negative willingness to accept reductions in gross margins as the trade-off for ecological benefits. Using an ordered logistic model we find that risk attitude, risk perception, the number of measures performed for ecological focus areas, the farmer’s age and being located in the south of Germany influence their willingness to accept gross margin changes compared to currently produced cereals.

ACS Style

Vanessa Bonke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany. Sustainability 2021, 13, 1631 .

AMA Style

Vanessa Bonke, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (4):1631.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanessa Bonke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2021. "Will Farmers Accept Lower Gross Margins for the Sustainable Cultivation Method of Mixed Cropping? First Insights from Germany." Sustainability 13, no. 4: 1631.

Journal article
Published: 29 May 2020 in German Journal of Agricultural Economics
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Apps und die in Smartphones verbauten Sensoren sind ein Teilbereich der Precision Farming Technologien. Die Anzahl der Smartphone-basierten Entscheidungsunterstützungssysteme in Form von Apps hat in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. Während die grundsätzliche Nutzungsentscheidung und die Zahlungsbereitschaft für Apps bereits untersucht wurden, ist bislang wenig darüber bekannt, in welcher Intensität Smartphones von Landwirten verwendet werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund wurden 272 deutsche Landwirte befragt, wie viele landwirtschaftliche Apps – als Indikator für die beruflich veranlasste Smartphone-Nutzungsintensität – verwendet werden. Mittels einer negativen binomialen Regression wurden Einflussfak-toren der Smartphone-Nutzungsintensität für landwirtschaftliche Zwecke ermittelt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Anzahl der genutzten landwirtschaftlichen Apps unter anderem statistisch signifikant abhängig ist vom Alter, von Bedenken bezüglich der Datensicherheit und vom Bildungsgrad des Landwirts. Kein statistisch signifikanter Effekt konnte für die Zufriedenheit mit der mobilen Internetabdeckung festgestellt werden. Die Studie ist sowohl für Entwickler und Anbieter von Apps als auch für politische Entscheidungsträger relevant, da sie erste Erkenntnisse über die Nutzungsintensität Smartphone-basierter Entscheidungsunterstützungssysteme liefert. Schulungen zur Digitalisierungen könnten über Aspekte der Datensicherheit aufklären. Weiterhin sollten die Bedienbarkeit und die bereitgestellten Informationen der Apps möglichst einfach gehalten werden, um für alle Landwirte unabhängig vom Bildungsgrad nützlich zu sein.

ACS Style

Marius Michels. Eine empirische Analyse der Nutzungsintensität von Smartphones in der deutschen Landwirtschaft. German Journal of Agricultural Economics 2020, 69, 1 .

AMA Style

Marius Michels. Eine empirische Analyse der Nutzungsintensität von Smartphones in der deutschen Landwirtschaft. German Journal of Agricultural Economics. 2020; 69 (2):1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels. 2020. "Eine empirische Analyse der Nutzungsintensität von Smartphones in der deutschen Landwirtschaft." German Journal of Agricultural Economics 69, no. 2: 1.

Article
Published: 15 April 2020 in Precision Agriculture
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There is a steady increase in smartphone apps available to improve farmers’ decision making with respect to crop protection. While current studies have focused on smartphone adoption in general and farmers’ general willingness to pay for crop protection smartphone apps in particular, none have focused on the initial adoption decision. Furthermore, it has not been studied yet which app functions are perceived as useful and which are actually used by farmers. Based on an online survey conducted in 2019 with 207 German farmers, this study investigated latent factors affecting farmers’ adoption decision for crop protection smartphone apps based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework applying partial least squares equation modelling and a binary logit model. Descriptive results show that 95% of the surveyed farmers use a smartphone, but only 71% use a crop protection smartphone app. Apps providing information about weather, pest scouting and infestations forecasts are perceived as most useful by the majority of farmers. However, reported use fell short of reported usefulness. With respect to the model for the UTAUT, 73% of the variation in the behavioral intention to use a crop protection smartphone app is explained by the model. The results are of interest for policy makers in the field of digitization in agriculture as well as providers and developers of crop protection smartphone apps since the results could be used for further development of apps and policies regarding digitization.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection. Precision Agriculture 2020, 21, 1209 -1226.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Vanessa Bonke, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection. Precision Agriculture. 2020; 21 (6):1209-1226.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. 2020. "Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in crop protection." Precision Agriculture 21, no. 6: 1209-1226.

Research article
Published: 15 February 2020 in Agribusiness
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Mobile internet is considered one of the most important developments in information and communication technology due to its considerable effect on both the economy and our daily lives. Furthermore, mobile internet is an essential tool for overcoming the rural–urban digital divide. With respect to agriculture, mobile internet can play a central role in information gathering as well as the implementation of precision and smart farming technologies. Yet, no study has identified the determinants of mobile internet adoption in agriculture. Using a bivariate probit model with a sample selection and a representative data set from 815 German farmers, this study showed that, among other characteristics, the age of the farmer, farm size and location, as well as familiarity with internet risks is associated with mobile internet adoption in agriculture. These results may be of interest to policy makers, who deal with internet infrastructure, and providers of farm equipment that rely on mobile internet connection. [EconLit citations: Q16].

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Wilm Fecke; Jan‐Henning Feil; Oliver Musshoff; Frederike Lülfs‐Baden; Saskia Krone. “Anytime, anyplace, anywhere”—A sample selection model of mobile internet adoption in german agriculture. Agribusiness 2020, 36, 192 -207.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Wilm Fecke, Jan‐Henning Feil, Oliver Musshoff, Frederike Lülfs‐Baden, Saskia Krone. “Anytime, anyplace, anywhere”—A sample selection model of mobile internet adoption in german agriculture. Agribusiness. 2020; 36 (2):192-207.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Wilm Fecke; Jan‐Henning Feil; Oliver Musshoff; Frederike Lülfs‐Baden; Saskia Krone. 2020. "“Anytime, anyplace, anywhere”—A sample selection model of mobile internet adoption in german agriculture." Agribusiness 36, no. 2: 192-207.

Journal article
Published: 13 February 2020 in Journal of Rural Studies
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To analyse the adoption of drones in agriculture as the latest tool added to the set of precision agriculture technologies, this paper makes use of a novel application of the trans-theoretical model of behavioural change by analysing a sample of 167 large-scale German farmers collected in 2019. The model provides a gradual measure of farmers' decision making with respect to the adoption of drones, which gives more detailed insight into farmers' adoption processes than the more common approach of applied binary classifications. Ordinal logit regression results show that, among other factors, farmers' age, precision agriculture technology literacy and farm size affect farmers’ adoption process. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by identifying key determinants of the drone adoption process in agriculture. Furthermore, this study provides information about the fields of drone application as well as reasons that oppose the usage of drones by farmers. The results are of interest for policy makers and suppliers of drones.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Oliver Musshoff. A trans-theoretical model for the adoption of drones by large-scale German farmers. Journal of Rural Studies 2020, 75, 80 -88.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Cord-Friedrich von Hobe, Oliver Musshoff. A trans-theoretical model for the adoption of drones by large-scale German farmers. Journal of Rural Studies. 2020; 75 ():80-88.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Cord-Friedrich von Hobe; Oliver Musshoff. 2020. "A trans-theoretical model for the adoption of drones by large-scale German farmers." Journal of Rural Studies 75, no. : 80-88.

Journal article
Published: 07 October 2019 in Agricultural Finance Review
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Purpose Adoption rates of commodity futures contracts among farmers are rather low in Europe despite their political support. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) can contribute to the understanding of farmers’ intention to use commodity futures contracts. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an online survey with 134 German farmers using partial least squares structural equation modeling to estimate the TAM. Findings The intention to use commodity futures contracts is mostly driven by farmers’ motivation for speculation rather than price risk reduction. Assuming risk averse farmers, this result could explain low adoption rates. Furthermore, perceived ease of use has a positive effect on the intention to use commodity futures contracts. Practical implications Handling of price hedging instruments should be facilitated to increase farmers’ adoption. Effective marketing trainings, which can demonstrate the ability of commodity futures contracts to reduce price risk, could increase farmers’ motivation to use them for their risk management instead of speculation. Originality/value This study analyzes path relationships between constructs expected to influence the intention to use commodity futures contracts which are allowed to be estimated by the TAM in one model. Here, the authors explicitly distinguish between usage motives for price risk reduction and speculation. This is the first study applying the TAM to price risk management tools.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Johannes Möllmann; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the intention to use commodity futures contracts. Agricultural Finance Review 2019, 79, 582 -597.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Johannes Möllmann, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the intention to use commodity futures contracts. Agricultural Finance Review. 2019; 79 (5):582-597.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Johannes Möllmann; Oliver Musshoff. 2019. "Understanding the intention to use commodity futures contracts." Agricultural Finance Review 79, no. 5: 582-597.

Journal article
Published: 01 October 2019 in Journal of Dairy Science
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The number of decision support tools available to farmers, including dairy herd management smartphone apps, has been steadily increasing. The existing literature does not cover topics concerning the adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps or which specific functions of such apps are perceived as most useful by dairy farmers. It is unclear whether technology adoption can only be explained by economic reasoning, because the beliefs about a technology also play a role in decision-making. Therefore, this study seeks to determine whether an extended technology acceptance model can explain adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps. Results about the adoption and use of dairy herd management smartphone apps are derived from an online survey conducted in 2018 with 280 German dairy farmers. To model farmers' frequency of use of herd management smartphone apps, we applied partial least squares structural equation modeling and an ordered logit model. Our results show that 93% of the dairy farmers in our sample use a smartphone and 61% already use a herd management smartphone app. Daily use is reported by 38% of the adopters. Dairy farmers rated functions related to the observation of animal health, reproduction management, and data gathering as most useful, which should be in focus by developers and providers for future development. The key attitudinal components of the technology acceptance model, namely perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, both positively influence the intention to use such apps. This ultimately has a positive effect on the actual usage behavior. Besides other factors, dairy farmers' education and knowledge of herd management smartphone apps have a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Our model explains 33% of the variance in the actual usage behavior related to herd management smartphone apps. Because perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively influence the intention to use such apps and ultimately the actual usage behavior, developers and providers should highlight the benefits of using herd management smartphone apps and also keep the interface of the apps as simple as possible.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management. Journal of Dairy Science 2019, 102, 9422 -9434.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Vanessa Bonke, Oliver Musshoff. Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management. Journal of Dairy Science. 2019; 102 (10):9422-9434.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Vanessa Bonke; Oliver Musshoff. 2019. "Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management." Journal of Dairy Science 102, no. 10: 9422-9434.

Journal article
Published: 13 August 2019 in EuroChoices
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ACS Style

Marius Michels; Johannes Möllmann; Oliver Musshoff. German Farmers’ Perspectives on Direct Payments in the Common Agricultural Policy. EuroChoices 2019, 19, 48 -52.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Johannes Möllmann, Oliver Musshoff. German Farmers’ Perspectives on Direct Payments in the Common Agricultural Policy. EuroChoices. 2019; 19 (1):48-52.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Johannes Möllmann; Oliver Musshoff. 2019. "German Farmers’ Perspectives on Direct Payments in the Common Agricultural Policy." EuroChoices 19, no. 1: 48-52.

Manuscript
Published: 11 June 2019 in Precision Agriculture
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Smartphone technology is promising for the future development of agriculture, as it can facilitate and improve many operational procedures and can also be combined with precision agriculture technologies. Yet, existing research on smartphone adoption in agriculture is scarce. Therefore, this paper empirically explores the factors influencing smartphone adoption by German farmers. The relationship between farmers, farm characteristics and smartphone adoption was analysed using a binomial logit model. The dataset, collected in 2016, consists of 817 German farmers and is representative in terms of age, farm size and diversification as well as regional distribution across the study area. The results indicate that, among other factors, farmers’ age, education, and farm size are determinants of smartphone adoption. Furthermore, the paper provides descriptive information about the usage of smartphone functions and agriculture-related app functions. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature by identifying key determinants of smartphone adoption in agriculture. The findings may be of interest for policy makers, researchers in the field of precision agriculture technologies as well as developers and providers of farm equipment and precision agriculture technologies that integrate with smartphones, since the paper includes information concerning smartphone use and key factors influencing smartphone adoption.

ACS Style

Marius Michels; Wilm Fecke; Jan-Henning Feil; Oliver Musshoff; Johanna Pigisch; Saskia Krone. Smartphone adoption and use in agriculture: empirical evidence from Germany. Precision Agriculture 2019, 21, 403 -425.

AMA Style

Marius Michels, Wilm Fecke, Jan-Henning Feil, Oliver Musshoff, Johanna Pigisch, Saskia Krone. Smartphone adoption and use in agriculture: empirical evidence from Germany. Precision Agriculture. 2019; 21 (2):403-425.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Marius Michels; Wilm Fecke; Jan-Henning Feil; Oliver Musshoff; Johanna Pigisch; Saskia Krone. 2019. "Smartphone adoption and use in agriculture: empirical evidence from Germany." Precision Agriculture 21, no. 2: 403-425.

Journal article
Published: 03 June 2019 in Agricultural Finance Review
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Purpose The outstanding reform of the Common Agriculture Policy allows for changes regarding its most criticized component, the direct payment scheme. The purpose of this paper is to investigate farmers’ acceptance of subsidized whole farm income insurance (WFI) and single-crop, multi-peril revenue insurance (RI) that are associated with a reduction of direct payments. Design/methodology/approach By applying a generalized multinomial logit model on data of a discrete choice experiment, German farmers’ preferences, expressed as their willingness to pay (WTP), for WFI and RI are revealed. Findings The results show a positive WTP for WFI and RI. The average farmer has a higher WTP for WFI than for RI. By increasing the coverage level, the negative influence of a reduction of direct payments on WTP for insurance can be compensated. Individual risk attitude and assessed importance of direct payments for the farm business show a statistically significant influence on the WTP. Practical implications The results suggest that, even if direct payments were abolished in order to subsidize WFI or RI, German farmers’ WTP for both insurance products would remain positive. However, to finally assess whether subsidizing insurance is the right means of providing public support, it is necessary to assess whether farmers’ WTP meets the costs for such an insurance scheme. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study investigating German farmers’ WTP for WFI and RI using an experimental approach by explicitly considering the partial to complete replacement of direct payments by subsidized insurance.

ACS Style

Johannes Möllmann; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. German farmers’ acceptance of subsidized insurance associated with reduced direct payments. Agricultural Finance Review 2019, 79, 408 -424.

AMA Style

Johannes Möllmann, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. German farmers’ acceptance of subsidized insurance associated with reduced direct payments. Agricultural Finance Review. 2019; 79 (3):408-424.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Johannes Möllmann; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2019. "German farmers’ acceptance of subsidized insurance associated with reduced direct payments." Agricultural Finance Review 79, no. 3: 408-424.

Research article
Published: 27 September 2018 in Agronomy for Sustainable Development
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By providing additional information and simulating results, decision support tools are one of the methods to enhance a farmer’s decision-making process in order to achieve more sustainable practices. With the latest developments in smartphone technology, new possibilities to integrate decision support tools into the daily work process have been emerging and smartphone apps related to crop protection have been developed. However, little is known about the utilization of smartphones by farmers in general, and specifically with regard to crop protection. In order to gather first insights into the factors that could affect the decision of farmers to integrate smartphones and crop protection-related apps in particular, into their work process, we conducted an online survey with 174 technologically experienced German farmers in 2017. We gained insights about the current use of smartphones from the surveyed German farmers, explored which topics farmers perceive as useful in the form of an app for crop protection, and which factors influence the willingness to pay for these apps. Our results show that 93% of the respondents use smartphones for agricultural purposes. Weather forecasts, tools to identify pests, diseases and weeds, as well as related forecasts are perceived as useful by the majority of respondents. Eighty-two percent of the respondents are generally willing to pay for crop protection apps. Using a probit model, we found that the farmer’s age, farm size, knowledge about specific crop protection apps, potential for cost reduction, and potential to reduce negative environmental effects have an influence on the general willingness to pay. Overall, this is the first study to explore factors influencing the willingness to pay for crop protection apps and assess which types of apps are perceived as useful by technologically experienced German farmers.

ACS Style

Vanessa Bonke; Wilm Fecke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 2018, 38, 51 .

AMA Style

Vanessa Bonke, Wilm Fecke, Marius Michels, Oliver Musshoff. Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection. Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 2018; 38 (5):51.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanessa Bonke; Wilm Fecke; Marius Michels; Oliver Musshoff. 2018. "Willingness to pay for smartphone apps facilitating sustainable crop protection." Agronomy for Sustainable Development 38, no. 5: 51.