Smart Agriculture in Ecuador: Adoption of IoT Technologies by Farmers in Guayas to Improve Agricultural Yields

Ruth Rubí Peña-Holguín, Carlos Andrés Vaca-Coronel, Ruth María Farías-Lema, Sonnia Valeria Zapatier-Castro and Juan Diego Valenzuela-Cobos ()
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Ruth Rubí Peña-Holguín: Centro de Estudios Estadísticos, Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Milagro 091050, Ecuador
Carlos Andrés Vaca-Coronel: Centro de Estudios Estadísticos, Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Milagro 091050, Ecuador
Ruth María Farías-Lema: Centro de Estudios Estadísticos, Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Milagro 091050, Ecuador
Sonnia Valeria Zapatier-Castro: Centro de Estudios Estadísticos, Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Milagro 091050, Ecuador
Juan Diego Valenzuela-Cobos: Centro de Estudios Estadísticos, Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI), Milagro 091050, Ecuador

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-24

Abstract: The adoption of digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), has emerged as a key strategy to improve efficiency, sustainability, and productivity in the agricultural sector, especially in contexts of modernization and digital transformation in developing regions. This study analyzes the key factors influencing the adoption of IoT technologies by farmers in the province of Guayas, Ecuador, and their impact on agricultural yields. The research is grounded in innovation diffusion theory and technology acceptance models, which emphasize the role of perception, usability, training, and economic viability in digital adoption. A total of 250 surveys were administered, with 232 valid responses (92.8% response rate), reflecting strong interest from the agricultural sector in digital transformation and precision agriculture. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the results confirm that general perception of IoT (β = 0.514), practical functionality (β = 0.488), and technical training (β = 0.523) positively influence adoption, while high implementation costs negatively affect it (β = −0.651), all of which are statistically significant ( p < 0.001). Furthermore, adoption has a strong positive effect on agricultural yield (β = 0.795). The model explained a high percentage of variance in both adoption (R 2 = 0.771) and performance (R 2 = 0.706), supporting its predictive capacity. These findings underscore the need for public and private institutions to implement targeted training and financing strategies to overcome economic barriers and foster the sustainable integration of IoT technologies in Ecuadorian agriculture.

Keywords: Internet of Things (IoT); agricultural innovation; precision agriculture; technology adoption; digital transformation in agriculture (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: 2025
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