Mobile applications (apps) for agriculture in Germany - a comparative market analysis

Abstract

Thanks to their multifunctionality, mobility and high data processing capacity, smartphones and their mobile applications have become a permanent companion for farmers in everyday life. This paper systematically analyses the mobile applications for agriculture available on the German market. The status quo (n = 1,214 apps) was recorded, systematically structured and descriptively evaluated based on the qualitative content analysis according to MAYRING (2015). A comparison of these results with the study by HOFFMANN et al. (2014) shows that the market offer for mobile apps is extremely dynamic. There are significantly more apps available for crop production (46.9%; n = 569) than for livestock farming (28.6%; n = 347). A vast majority (41.4%; n = 503) is used to provide information. The app ratings suggest that the majority of users are satisfied with the mobile apps available for agriculture.