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

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dc.contributor.authorBontsa, Nasiphi Vusokazi
dc.contributor.authorMushunje, Abbyssinia
dc.contributor.authorNgarava, Saul
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-15T17:31:42Z
dc.date.available2025-10-15T17:31:42Z
dc.date.issued2023-07-25
dc.description.abstractThe 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.
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Research Foundation (NRF), Grant number 75910.
dc.identifier.citationBontsa, N. V., Mushunje, A., & Ngarava, S. (2023). Factors influencing the perceptions of smallholder farmers towards adoption of digital technologies in eastern cape province, south africa. Agriculture (Basel), 13(8), 1471. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13081471
dc.identifier.issn2077-0472
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/3277
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.subjectAttention
dc.subjectInterest
dc.subjectDesire
dc.subjectAnd Action (AIDA) Model
dc.subjectDigital Technologies
dc.subjectPerceptive Index
dc.subjectTechnology Acceptance Model (TAM)
dc.titleFactors Influencing the Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Adoption of Digital Technologies in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
dc.typeArticle
person.identifier.orcidBontsa, Nasiphi Vusokazi 0000-0002-6320-4559
person.identifier.orcidMushunje, Abbyssinia 0000-0002-2183-785X
person.identifier.orcidNgarava, Saul 0000-0002-8462-0287

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