Bridging the adoption gap: The role of agricultural consultants behavior in decision support system adoption

<ns5:p>Background Agricultural Decision Support Systems are digital tools designed to support Integrated Pest Management decisions, a sustainable practice mandated across the European Union to reduce the negative impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment. Despite their potential, adoption rates remain suboptimal. A critical yet underexplored factor in this gap is the role of agricultural consultants, who act as intermediaries between technology developers and farmers. While consultants directly shape farmers’ exposure to and perceptions of these tools, the behavioral and contextual factors driving their likelihood to recommend Decision Support Systems remain poorly understood. Methods A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 151 agricultural consultants across 12 European countries between December 2019 and March 2020. Eight hypotheses were formulated to explain recommendation behavior, drawing on concepts related to technology acceptance, innovation diffusion and behavioral reasoning. Logistic regression with Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations was used to identify the key determinants of recommendation likelihood, with parameter estimates pooled following Rubin’s combination rules. Results The overall model was statistically significant. Perceived productivity improvement was the strongest predictor of recommendation likelihood, followed by single-crop specialization, feedback from farmers and perceived tool adaptation to farmers’ needs. Attendance at manufacturer demonstration events showed marginal significance. Access to marketing information and use of the same Decision Support System as clients did not significantly influence recommendation behavior. Conclusions Agricultural consultants function as active, risk-mitigating gatekeepers rather than passive information conduits. Recommendation behavior is driven primarily by perceived practical value and experiential engagement rather than passive exposure to promotional content. Future efforts should prioritize participatory system design, targeted training and feedback-oriented learning environments to strengthen consultant confidence and enhance Decision Support System recommendation and uptake across European agricultural advisory networks.</ns5:p>