Abstract
Precision agriculture technologies (PATs) are believed to be able to ensure the sustainability of rice production. However, the adoption of PATs in developing countries is much lower than in developed countries. The basic question of our research is how Indonesian rice farmers are ready to adopt precision agriculture since they are smallholder farmers. Data was collected from 521 rice farmers in five Indonesian provinces, i.e. North Sumatra, West Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara, in 2023. Farmers were interviewed face to face using structured questionnaires. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) through the Python software. The results showed that Indonesian rice farmers have a moderate level of readiness. The mean value of the capabilities and opportunities indicators were 2.54 to 3.8, while the range for the opportunity’s indicator is 3.23 to 4.11, larger than the capabilities indicators. The level of precision agriculture implementation on Indonesian rice farmers was significant influenced by management (β = 0.42, t = 7.11, p < 0.05), environment (β = 0.17, t = 3.63, p < 0.05), readiness (β = 0.14, t = 2.51, p < 0.05), and technology (β = 0.10, t = 2.12, p < 0.05), economy (β = 0.09, t = 3.63, p < 0.05), and technology2 (β = -0.072, t = 3.5, p < 0.05). Meanwhile, farmer readiness was significantly influenced by opportunity (β = 0.39, t = 6.64, p < 0.05) and capabilities (β = 0.43, t = 6.82, p < 0.05). This research provides information on the status of human resource capacity in exploiting opportunities for implementing precision agriculture and technical policy advice. The Indonesian government should improve farmers’ skills in information technology, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and sensor technology in agricultural sectors, and facilitate access to technology and resources in order to increase rice farmers’ readiness to adopt PATs. For opportunity indicators, however, further research is needed to determine which components require immediate attention for construction or development.
Abstract
Precision agriculture technologies (PATs) are believed to be able to ensure the sustainability of rice production. However, the adoption of PATs in developing countries is much lower than in developed countries. The basic question of our research is how Indonesian rice farmers are ready to adopt precision agriculture since they are smallholder farmers. Data was collected from 521 rice farmers in five Indonesian provinces, i.e. North Sumatra, West Java, Yogyakarta, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara, in 2023. Farmers were interviewed face to face using structured questionnaires. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) through the Python software. The results showed that Indonesian rice farmers have a moderate level of readiness. The mean value of the capabilities and opportunities indicators were 2.54 to 3.8, while the range for the opportunity’s indicator is 3.23 to 4.11, larger than the capabilities indicators. The level of precision agriculture implementation on Indonesian rice farmers was significant influenced by management (β = 0.42, t = 7.11, p < 0.05), environment (β = 0.17, t = 3.63, p < 0.05), readiness (β = 0.14, t = 2.51, p < 0.05), and technology (β = 0.10, t = 2.12, p < 0.05), economy (β = 0.09, t = 3.63, p < 0.05), and technology2 (β = -0.072, t = 3.5, p < 0.05). Meanwhile, farmer readiness was significantly influenced by opportunity (β = 0.39, t = 6.64, p < 0.05) and capabilities (β = 0.43, t = 6.82, p < 0.05). This research provides information on the status of human resource capacity in exploiting opportunities for implementing precision agriculture and technical policy advice. The Indonesian government should improve farmers’ skills in information technology, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and sensor technology in agricultural sectors, and facilitate access to technology and resources in order to increase rice farmers’ readiness to adopt PATs. For opportunity indicators, however, further research is needed to determine which components require immediate attention for construction or development. Read More