Innovation and technology in sustainable agriculture: Understanding farmers’ drivers and barriers to adoption

This study examines farmers’ perceptions and understanding of adopting innovative and technology-based agricultural practices for sustainability. It identifies the main drivers and barriers influencing farmers’ decisions to adopt technology, with the aim of encouraging farm-level research and promoting agricultural development. The study included 114 respondents and used a descriptive correlational research design. The findings show that farmers have a high level of understanding and positive attitudes toward technological innovation in agriculture. Key drivers of adoption include economic considerations, sociocultural factors, institutional support, and technological aspects. However, several major challenges limit adoption, including insufficient financial resources to purchase machinery, limited access to bank loans, and inadequate farm inputs such as land, quality seeds, mechanization, fertilizers, and pesticides. The results also indicate that years of farming experience are significantly related to economic factors. In addition, the type of agricultural mechanization and tools is significantly associated with technological aspects, while participation in training activities is significantly related to sociocultural and technological factors. Overall, the findings suggest that wider use of modern technology and machinery can be expected if these barriers are addressed.