Abstract
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture is expected to yield advantages such as savings in production resources, labor costs, and working hours as well as a reduction in soil compaction. However, the economic and ecological benefits of AI systems for agriculture can only be realized if farmers are willing to use them. This study applies the technology acceptance model (TAM) of Davis (1989) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) of Ajzen (1991) to investigate which behavioral factors are influencing the acceptance of AI in agriculture. The composite model is extended by two additional factors, expectation of property rights over business data and personal innovativeness. A structural equation analysis is used to determine the importance of factors influencing the acceptance of AI systems in agriculture. For this purpose, 84 farmers were surveyed with a letter or an online questionnaire. Results show that the perceived behavioral control has the greatest influence on acceptance, followed by farmers’ personal attitude towards AI systems in agriculture. The modelled relationships explain 59% of the total variance in acceptance. Several options and implications on how to increase the acceptance of AI systems in agriculture are discussed.
Highlights
Market research companies and industry associations such as the digital association Bitkom and the German Farmers’ Association create the impression that German agriculture is modern, progressive, and innovative
84 persons completed the survey. 43% (n = 36) of participants originated from the survey with university members while 57% (n = 48) of the respondents were farmers from southern Hesse
The main goal of the current study is to identify behavioral factors influencing the acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) system in agriculture based on a theoretical framework
Summary
Market research companies and industry associations such as the digital association Bitkom and the German Farmers’ Association create the impression that German agriculture is modern, progressive, and innovative. German agriculture is portrayed as a driver of digitalization in rural areas, and farmers as “pioneers of digitalization” (Bitkom and German Farmers’ Association, 2019). A. Precision Agriculture (2021) 22:1816–1844 joint survey project of the three institutions mentioned above reveals that 82% of the 500 farmers surveyed report using smart farming technologies (Bitkom, 2020). The company, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), states that German agriculture took a leading role in the adaptation of digital technologies years ago and has maintained this role to date (Bovensiepen et al, 2016). Many production decisions have to increasingly be made under uncertainty due to weather changes, different local soil conditions, and plant diseases
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