Smallholder farmers’ perception and adoption of digital agricultural technologies: An empirical evidence from Vietnam

Abstract

This study examines smallholder farmers’ perception of digital agricultural technology and factors that shape the smallholders’ adoption of it in South Central Vietnam. A sample size of 202 smallholder farmers was randomly chosen from a total population of 407 smallholder farmers. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The results show that the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms are the common digital technologies used by smallholder farmers and these are also the most effective digital technologies for dealing with agricultural production and marketing issues. It can be concluded that younger smallholder farmers who had higher education levels, who interacted with scientists and possessed large farms are in a better position to adopt digital technologies of the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms than older smallholder farmers who had lower education levels, did not interact with scientists and owned small farms. Smallholder farmers who participated in training programs, was member of community-based organisations and contacted with extension workers tend to be digital technology users of the internet and connectivity/wireless and mobile applications. Smallholder farmers who live far from local markets tend to be digital technology users of digital platforms compared to those who live close to one. The provision of training courses on the use of digital technologies in agriculture that consider demographic, socio-economic and institutional characteristics of smallholders when designing and delivering, is a proper agricultural extension strategy which can foster the smallholder farmers to adopt digital technologies for managing agricultural production and marketing systems.