Farmers’ perception on precision farming technologies: A novel approach

Abstract

Precision agricultural technology is an evolving sector concentrated on improving productivity and rural development. Therefore, studying the adoption process of the technology is essential to recognise a possible strategy that could affect the adoption and dissemination of a precision farming system. This paper reports an investigation into the perception and attitudinal characteristics of farmers who intend to adopt these technologies in the Batticaloa district in Sri Lanka. The primary data were composed of randomly selected farmers from February to April 2020 using a well-designed questionnaire survey. A Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied to explain the farmers' adoption and use of precision agricultural techniques. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) following a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to identify the relationship between the factors. In the proposed model, the prediction accuracy of constructs is signified by the coefficient of determination (R2) value for Attitude Towards Usage which is 0.34, which means that Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use explain 34 per cent of the variance in Attitude Towards Usage. The findings suggest that respondents have positive perception of adopting precision agricultural techniques. Perceived usefulness positively impacts attitude, and attitudes affect behavioural intention.