Factors influencing intention to adopt ICT among intensive shrimp farmers

Abstract

Intensive shrimp production has been considered one way to increase output quantity. However, many factors need to be considered to maintain product quality, sustained practice, and environmental compliance. The adoption of monitoring technologies in shrimp farming such as monitoring important water quality parameters including temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and salinity, offers several benefits, including increasing farming processes and cost efficiency and reducing harmful environmental impacts. A sampled survey dataset comprising 184 shrimp farmers from Ca Mau, Kien Giang, and Soc Trang provinces in Vietnam, one of the world largest shrimp producers, was used to examine factors that affect farmers' adoption of aquaculture information and communication technologies (ICT). The study empirically tested an adoption model using technology acceptance model and theory of planned behavior under perceived production risks. Results suggest that farmers who both perceive the ICT as being useful in their shrimp farms and are influenced by other important peers are more likely to adopt aquaculture technologies. Farmers who feel confident to learn a new technology are likely to find the technology easier to use than someone who is not as confident. Due to the inherent risky nature of intensive shrimp production, even if Vietnamese shrimp farmers perceive a high level of technology-adoption risk, they still feel more confident towards learning to use a new ICT and its usefulness, and are therefore likely to increase their adoption. The study's results suggest ICT service providers should collaborate with local aquaculture departments to develop pilot farms to showcase new aquaculture technologies and demonstrate key features and their compatibility with existing farms' infrastructure, which will consequently entice farmers to quickly adopt shrimp monitoring technologies.