Communication as the primary driver of IoT-based smart farming adoption: the mediating role of innovation perception and the supporting function of institutional mechanism

Communication and innovation perception play interconnected roles in shaping farmers’ adoption of IoT-based smart farming technologies. This study examines how communication strategies and institutional support influence innovation perception and adoption behavior among smallholder farmers. By positioning communication as a central explanatory mechanism, the analysis explores how information is interpreted, trusted, and translated into sustained technology use. A quantitative approach using PLS-SEM was applied to survey data collected from 200 farmers in West Java, Indonesia. The results indicate that communication exerts a strong direct influence on both innovation perception and adoption, while institutional support affects adoption primarily through its influence on perception. These findings contribute to communication-based innovation theory by highlighting perception as a key mechanism in the smart farming adoption process. From a practical perspective, the study underscores the importance of farmer-centric, peer-amplified, and value-oriented communication strategies supported by coherent institutional frameworks. Adoption policies should integrate communication, capacity building, and financial facilitation to support digital transformation in agriculture.