Factors Influencing the Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Adoption of Digital Technologies in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Nasiphi Vusokazi Bontsa (), Abbyssinia Mushunje and Saul Ngarava
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Nasiphi Vusokazi Bontsa: Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Fort Hare, P. Bag X1314, 1 King William’s Town Road, Alice 5700, South Africa
Abbyssinia Mushunje: Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Fort Hare, P. Bag X1314, 1 King William’s Town Road, Alice 5700, South Africa
Saul Ngarava: Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584CB Utrecht, The Netherlands

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-16

Abstract: The objective of the study was to determine the factors that influence the perceptions of smallholder farmers towards the adoption of digital technologies. A purposively selected sample of 250 smallholder farmers who were cross-sectionally surveyed from Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill Local Municipalities in South Africa was used in the study. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Attention, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model were used to analyse the data. The results showed that digital technologies were perceived to be expensive, cause a digital divide, and discouraged the use of Indigenous Knowledge even though they increased production. Positive perception towards digital technologies was associated with cattle rearing, with extreme negative perception for sheep and goat rearing. Educational level, employment status, monthly income, household size, being part of a cooperative (1% level), age, and source of income (10% level) were significant factors affecting smallholder farmers’ perceptions of digital technologies. In conclusion, there are economic, social justice, and traditional perceptions towards digital technologies by smallholder farmers, with socio-economic factors affecting the perceptions. The study recommends providing low-cost digital technologies that promote Indigenous Knowledge, which should target the youth and young farmers with less education in small households who are full-time farmers with moderate-to-high incomes and are part of farmer groups/organisations.

Keywords: attention, interest, desire, and action (AIDA) model; digital technologies; perceptive index; technology acceptance model (TAM) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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