Agriculture 4.0 technologies among Italian farmers: a C-TAM-TPB approach with sustainability and economic factors

The agricultural sector faces several challenges across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability, and the adoption of 4.0 farming technologies is expected to address these challenges. 4.0 farming technologies entail the digitalisation of agricultural systems. This study investigates the behavioural intention to adopt Agriculture 4.0 among Italian farmers. Its framework integrates the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explore how sustainability factors and economic constraints affect the adoption of these technologies in Italy's agricultural sector. Structural equation modelling is applied to survey data collected from 786 Italian farmers. The results indicate that environmental, social, and economic benefits positively influence farmers' intention to adopt these technologies despite cost- and skill-related barriers; importantly, sustainability dimensions do not directly drive adoption intentions but exert their influence through cognitive evaluations and attitudinal mechanisms. These findings are crucial for defining business strategies, reshaping agricultural practices, and informing policy refinements that promote digital literacy and the adoption of Agriculture 4.0 technologies.