Fatores determinantes da adoção de tecnologias de agricultura de precisão por produtores de grãos

Abstract

Precision Agriculture (PA) contributes positively to the environment by optimizing the use of resources such as water, fertilizers, and pesticides, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and minimizing the environmental impact of agricultural activities. However, the adoption of these technologies in Brazil occurs in a heterogeneous way. Although the high cost of investment may seem to be the main barrier, especially for small-scale producers, it is important to observe the behavior of other factors. The main objective of this dissertation was to identify which are the determining factors for the adoption of PA technologies by grain producers. To achieve this, the specific objectives consisted of: identifying the state-of-the-art publications on the adoption of PA; identifying the farmer's profile and farm characteristics, the main technologies adopted, and how much of the adopted technology is effectively used; and analyzing the influence of the farmer's profile and farm characteristics on the adoption of PA technologies. The results showed that the number of studies on the subject grew each year, reaching its peak in 2020, however, this type of research is still incipient in Brazil. The adoption of PA technologies is related to various factors, among the main ones are: familiarity with technologies, perception of usefulness, as well as economic, individual, social, and organizational factors. To understand the determining factors of adoption, data were collected from 133 farmers from different states of Brazil. Descriptive analysis showed that adopters are large-scale producers with higher education and over 20 years of experience, cooperative members, and with diversified sources of income. The multiple logistic regression model (MA2) adjustment showed that adoption can be explained by four variables: education, experience, corn planting area, and government agencies. The results of this study are of interest to rural producers, precision agriculture machinery industry, retailers, rural extension organizations and technical support, as well as ontributing to other research in PA technologies.