Abstract Agriculture remains a vital component of Malaysia’s National Key Economic Area (NKEA), contributing to economic growth through job creation and income generation. The rise of smart farming, or precision agriculture, integrates technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, and artificial intelligence to boost productivity and sustainability. IoT plays a pivotal role by enabling real-time data collection and monitoring, thereby improving decision-making in farming. Despite its potential, IoT adoption among small and medium-scale farmers is limited due to high costs, technical complexity, and inadequate infrastructure. Addressing this gap requires active youth involvement, particularly students in tertiary institutions, who are well-positioned to drive digital transformation in agriculture. This study investigates the readiness of youth in Melaka to adopt IoT-driven smart farming, applying the Technological Readiness Index (TRI) as the guiding framework. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires using stratified and simple random sampling, then analyzed with SPSS and Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). Results show that optimism and innovativeness positively influence perceived benefits and readiness, while insecurity and discomfort, associated with perceived risks, hinder adoption. Perceived benefits and risks mediate the relationship between TRI dimensions and IoT readiness. The findings underscore the critical role of empowering youth to bridge the innovation-application gap, especially in regional agricultural development.
Samsudin et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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