Enhancing Dairy Farm Welfare: A Holistic Examination of Technology Adoption and Economic Performance in Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey

Abstract

Technology and innovations have significant potential to enhance farm productivity, profitability, and economic sustainability. This study comprehensively investigates the relationship between technology adoption and economic performance within dairy farming. First, it seeks to clarify how socio-economic, information-seeking, behavioral factors and technical efficiency influence the level of technology adoption in dairy farms. It also compares the economic indicators of dairy farms depending on their technology adoption levels and evaluates whether technology adoption affects dairy farms’ technical, allocative, and economic efficiency. The data were collected from 188 dairy farmers in Kahramanmaraş Province in the East Mediterranean Region of Turkey in 2022. The results reveal that dairy farms’ technology adoption levels are influenced by income, household size, investment, ownership of cultured cattle breeds, Chamber of Agriculture membership, contact frequency with private veterinarians and other farmers, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and technical efficiency. Farms with high-level technology adoption demonstrate increased profitability and efficiency scores, highlighting the positive correlation between technology adoption and farm efficiency. Policymakers should focus on training and support programs for dairy farmers to optimize technology use and input management. They can also promote resource-efficient farming and provide financial incentives for sustainable practices and dairy technologies.