Farmers’ Intention to Use Precision Agriculture Technologies: A TAM Approach

Authors

  • Narmilan , R.K. Ahmadh Rifai Kariapper , S. Sabraz Nawaz

Abstract

— Precision Agriculture technology is an evolving sector concentrated on improving
productivity and rural development. Therefore, studying the process of technology adoption
is important to recognize possible strategy that could affect the adoption and dissemination of
precision farming system. This paper reports investigation into the perception and attitudinal
characteristics of farmers who have idea to adopt these technologies in Batticaloa District in
Sri Lanka. The primary data were composed of randomly selected farmers from February to
April 2020 using a questionnaire survey. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was
applied to explain the adoption and use of precision agricultural techniques by the farmers. A
Structural Equation Model (SEM) following a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used
to identify the relationship between factors. According to the effects of the path estimation,
the t-value for each is greater than 1.96 and the p-value for each is less than 0.05, all three
hypotheses show statistical significance. In a proposed model, the prediction accuracy of
constructs is signified by the coefficient of determination (R2
) value for Attitude Towards
Usage is 0.34, which means that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use explain
34% of the variance in Attitude Towards Usage. While the R
2
value for Behavioral Intention
is 0.44 meaning that Attitude Towards Usage can explain 44% of the variance in Behavioral
Intention towards Precision Agriculture Technologies. The findings suggest that respondents
have positive perceptions of adopting precision agricultural techniques. Perceived usefulness
has a positive impact on attitude, and attitudes affect behavioral intention

Published

2020-12-01

Issue

Section

Articles