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Factors influencing the adoption of precision agricultural technologies: a review for policy implications

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Abstract

Increasing pressure for food security and sustainability as well as a need to halt environmental degradation has focused attention on increasing the efficient use of farm resources. One answer to aspects of that problem is the use of precision agricultural technologies (PATs). To facilitate their adoption, initiatives have been fostered in developed countries since the 1980s. Despite a low rate of adoption elsewhere, similar efforts in recent years have been initiated in developing countries. Given this, understanding those underlying factors that influence the adoption of PATs is vital. It is timely to review these factors and to draw policy implications from that review for future actions. This review, based on studies investigating the limited adoption of PATs in ‘experienced’ countries, extrapolates their findings to explain why farmers have or have not adopted PATs. At the same time, this review summarizes the key insights for more effectively targeting ‘new’ followers: e.g. it provides some answers to the question of who is more likely to adopt PATs. Additionally, the review points to the limitations of current research in the area and suggests a robust economic model or multidisciplinary approach be adopted for future investigation.

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Notes

  1. Details on sample size have not been provided by Roberts et al. (2002) for their applications of the Logit method.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers and Jim Schepers (Co-Editor) for their constructive comments concerning ways to improve the quality of an earlier version of this paper.

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  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia

    Yeong Sheng Tey & Mark Brindal

  2. Institute of Agricultural and Food Policy Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

    Yeong Sheng Tey

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Tey, Y.S., Brindal, M. Factors influencing the adoption of precision agricultural technologies: a review for policy implications. Precision Agric 13, 713–730 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-012-9273-6

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