Geography and Human Relationships

Geography and Human Relationships

Analyzing the knowledge and challenges of precision agricultural technologies diffusion in Fars and Bushehr provinces

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
SOMAYEH TOHIDYAN FAR 1
Kurosh Rezaei-Moghaddam 2
1 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND EDUCATION, SHIRAZ UNIVERSITY
2 Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, School of Agriculture, Shiraz University
10.22034/gahr.2024.483344.2287
Abstract
The aim of the present study is to analyze precision agricultural knowledge, identify its determinants and analyze the challenges of adoption and diffusion of these technologies. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of data collection. Stratified random sampling was used to select the study samples and 287 experts (115 experts from Bushehr province and 172 experts from Fars province) were interviewed. The results showed that the level of agricultural precision knowledge of the experts is not appropriate. Thus, the experts' knowledge of these technologies is average and low. The behavioral attitude plays the biggest role in explaining the experts' knowledge. The unavailability of equipment and facilities for precision agriculture, inadequate communication between extension and research institutions, lack of experts, especially local experts, and the unfavorable economic situation of farmers were identified by the experts as the major challenges for the diffusion of precision agriculture technologies. It is necessary to increase the level of information and knowledge of experts in this field so that they can transfer the technologies to the farm level after obtaining the necessary and sufficient information, and to promote the adoption of these technologies among farmers by creating the necessary conditions and facilities. Policy makers and agricultural planners in Iran should design strategic planning based on the results of this research in order to eliminate the barriers to the spread of precision agriculture.
Keywords
Knowledge
Precision agriculture
Experts
Diffusion
Technology

Subjects

توحیدیان فر، س. و رضائی مقدم، ک. (1392). واکاوی پیامدهای زراعی طرح تسطیح لیزری: مطالعه موردی شهرستان سپیدان. مجله علوم ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی، دوره 9، شماره 1، ص 140-115.
صالحی، س.، رضائی مقدم، ک. و آجیلی، ع. (1386). کاربرد تکنولوژی­های نظارت عملکرد: الگویی برای کشاورزی پایدار. علوم ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی ایران، شماره2، جلد3.
کارپیشه، ل. (1402).  اولویت بندی عوامل موثر بر بکارگیری کشاورزی دقیق از دیدگاه کارشناسان کشاورزی استان اردبیل. جغرافیا و روابط انسانی، دوره6، شماره2، ص720-707.
Aubert, B.A., Schroeder, A., & Grimaudo, J. (2012). IT as enabler of sustainable farm­ing: an empirical analysis of farmers’ adoption decision of precision agriculture technology. Decision Support System, 54, 510–520.
Barnes, A. P., Soto, I., Eory, V., Beck, B., Bal­afoutis, A., Sanchez, B.
Vangeyte, J.,  Fountas, S.,  van der Wal, T., & Gómez-Barbero, M. (2019). Ex­ploring the adoption of precision agricultural technologies: A cross‐regional study of EU farmers. Land Use Policy, 80, 163–174.
Bolfe, E.L., Jorge, L.A.C., Sanches, I.D., Júnior, A.L., Costa, C.C., Victoria, D.C., Inamasu, R.Y., Grego, C.R., Victor Rodrigues Ferreira, V.R., & Ramirez, A.R. (2020). Precision and digital agriculture: Adoption of technologies and perception of Brazilian farmers, Agriculture, 10, 1‐16.
Bordbar, M., Hosseini, S. M., & Chizari, M. (2009). The Assessment of Applying Precision Agriculture as Appropriate Technology as Perceived by Agricultural Specialists in Fars Province of Iran. Agricultural & Environmental Science, 6(6), 692-996.
Cullen, R., Forbes, S.L., & Grout, R. (2013). Non‐adoption of environmental innova­tions in wine growing. New Zealand Jour­nal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 41, 41–48.
Faber, A., & Hoppe, T. (2013). Co-constructing a sustainable built environment in the Netherlands dynamics and opportunities in an environmental sectoral innovation system. Energy Policy, 52, 628–638.
Fatemi, M., & Rezaei-Moghaddam, K. (2020). Sociological factors influencing the performance of organic activities in Iran. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 16(3).
Fountas, S., Pedersen, S. M., & Blackmore, S. (2006). In: ICT in precision agriculture, edited by Ehud Gelb. E-book.
Fowler, F.J. (2009). Survey research methods. In: Bickman L, Rog DJ, editors. Applied social research method series. USA: SAGE.
Gandorfer, M., Schleicher, S., & Erdle, K. (2018). Barriers to adoption of smart farming technologies in Germany. Pro­ceedings of the 14th International Confer­ence on Precision Agriculture June 24 – June 27, 2018, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Griffin, T., Lowenberg-Debore, J., Lambert, D. M., Peone, J., Payne, T., & Daberkow, S.G. (2004). Adoption, profitability, and making better use of precision farming data. Department of Agricultural Economics, Staff paper#04-06, Purdue university.
Isgin, T., Bilgic, A., Forester, D., & Batte, M.T. (2008). Using count data models to determine the factors effecting farmers quantity decisions of precision farming technology adoption. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 231-242
Kenneth, W., Paxton, A. K., Mishra, S. C., Roland, K., Roberts, J. A., Larson, B.C., English, D., Lambert, M., Marra, S., Larkin, J., Reeves., & Steven W. M. (2011). Intensity of Precision Agriculture Technology Adoption by Cotton Producer. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 40/1, 133-144.
Kitchen, N. R., Snyder, C. J., Franzen, D. W., & Wiebold, W. J. (2002). Educational needs of precision agriculture. Journal of Precision Agriculture, 3: 341-351.
Lambert, D., English, B. C., Harper, D. C., Larkin, S. L., Larson, J., Mooney, D., Roberts, R.K., Velandia, M., & Reeves, J.M. (2014). Adoption and frequency of pre­cision soil testing in cotton production. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Eco­nomics, 39(1), 106–123.
Long, T. B., Blok, V., & Coninx, I. (2016). Bar­riers to the adoption and diffusion of tech­nological innovations for climate‐smart agriculture in Europe: evidence from the Netherlands, France, Switzerland and Italy. Journal of cleaner production, 112, 9‐21.
Mishra, A.K., Sundaramoorthi, R., Chdambara, P., & Balaji, D. (2003). Operationalization of precision farming in India, 6th Annual International Conference and Exhibition.
Mitchell, S., Weersink, A., & Bannon, N. (2020). Adoption barriers for precision agriculture technologies in Canadian crop production. Canadian Journal of Plant Sci­ence, 101(3), 412‐416.
Mondal, P., & Basu, M. (2009). Adoption of precision agriculture technologies in India and in some developing countries: Scope, present status and strategies. Progress in Natural Science, 19(6), 659-666.
Mondal, P., & Tewari, V.K. (2007). Present status of precision agriculture: A Review.  International Journal of Agricultural Research, 2 (1), 1-10.
Pivoto, D., Barham, B., Dabdab, P., Zhang, D., & Talamini, E. (2019). Factors influencing the adoption of smart farming by Brazilian grain farmers. International Food Agribusi­ness Management Review, 22, 571–588.
Reichardt, M., & Jürgens, C. (2009). Adoption and future perspective of precision farm­ing in Germany: Results of several surveys among different agricultural target groups. Precision Agriculture, 10, 73–94.
Robert, P. C. (2002). Precision agriculture: A challenge for crop nutrition management. Journal of Plant and Soil, 24 (7), 143-149.
Scherer, L.A., Verburg, P.H., & Schulp, C.J.E. (2018). Opportunities for sustainable agriculture intensification in European agriculture. Global Environmental Change, 48 (1), 43-55.
Schimmelpfennig, D., & Ebel, R. (2016). Se­quential adoption and cost savings from precision agriculture. Journal of Agricul­tural and Resource Economics, 41(1), 97–115.
Stobbelaar, D. J., Casimir, G., Borghuis, J., Marks, I., Meijer, L., & Zebeda, S. (2007). Adolescents’ attitudes towards organic food: A survey of 15‐to 16‐year old school children. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31 (4), 349-356.
Tohidyan Far, S., & Rezaei-Moghaddam, K. (2015). Determinants of Iranian agricultural consultants intention toward precision agricultural: Integration innovativeness to the Technology Acceptance Model. Journal of the Soudi Society of Agricultural Science, 16, 280-286.
Tohidyan Far, S., & Rezaei-Moghaddam, K. (2018). Impacts of the precision agricultural technologies in Iran: An analysis experts’ perception & their determinants. Information Processing in Agriculture, 5, 173–184.
Villa‐Henriksen, A., Edwards, G.T.C., Pesonen, L.A., Green, O., & Sørensen, C.A.G. (2020). Internet of things in arable farming: Im­plementation, applications, challenges and potential. Biosystems Engineering, 191, 60–84.
Willer, H., & Kilcher, L. (2012). The world of organic agriculture-statistics and emerging trends. Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL), Frick, and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Bonn. www. ifoam. org.
Geography and Human Relationships
Volume 9, Issue 1 - Serial Number 33
Winter 2026
Pages 167-186

  • Receive Date 13 October 2024
  • Revise Date 28 October 2024
  • Accept Date 11 December 2024