A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology 1981

Credit is often a key element in the modernization of agriculture . Not only can it remove a financial constraint but it may provide the incentive to adopt new technologies that would otherwise be more slowly accepted. However, no a mount of credit can provide a panacea for raising farmer productivity or improving incomes of the rural poor. It is commonly agreed that proper management of credit is a necessary condition. Farm credit in Taiwan is becoming more difficult to manage in recent years due to the contradictory effects of increasing population and economic growth. That is though more and more labor efforts are needed to smoothly operate the credit program , agricultural labor is in short supply and labor costs are higher. As a result, errors, confusions, duplication, and inconsistency work occur all together. This problem has been recognized in Taiwan agriculture recently. It also has been recognized that information is the essential ingredient for modern management science . We may consider information as the bond which is required to make a system or organization active . Therefore , the primary objective of this study t o analyze and design a n information system to solve the work load problem and strengthen the management of farm credit in Taiwan. It is hoped that the case of Taiwan may offer a scenario of farm credit to other countries in this region.