Human resource development through ESG-oriented agricultural training: Knowledge outcomes in IoT-assisted and conventional irrigation settings

Background: The social pillar of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) emphasizes human resource development, yet evidence on ESG-oriented agricultural training in non-farming urban communities remains limited. This study assesses changes in knowledge following an ESG-oriented agricultural training program and examines whether IoT-assisted infrastructure is associated with differential knowledge gains. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design without a control group was employed among 20 female community beneficiaries across two sites in Batam, Indonesia, Barelang (IoT-assisted drip irrigation) and Nongsa (conventional irrigation). A purpose-built 25-item binary (yes/no) self-assessment instrument was administered before and after training, covering four domains; land preparation, plant maintenance, IoT and smart farming, and digital marketing. Participant baseline characteristics were collected separately. Findings: Mean scores increased significantly from 10.70 (SD = 4.71) to 22.20 (SD = 2.33) out of 25 (W = 210.0, p-value < 0.001). Plant maintenance and digital marketing showed substantial gains increasing from 11.7% to 93.3% and from 35.0% to 94.0% suggesting that applied training was accessible across educational backgrounds. However, the IoT domain diverged sharply: Barelang gained +3.35 items of 5 reaching near-perfect comprehension, while Nongsa declined by −0.33 items, which may indicate a possible response-shift phenomenon whereby theoretical instruction without hands-on technology exposure heightened awareness of knowledge limitations rather than consolidating applied competency. The small sample (n = 20) limits generalisability. Conclusion: Participants reported significantly higher self-assessed knowledge after ESG agricultural training regardless of educational diversity, while IoT-related outcomes appeared to differ by infrastructure access. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study contributes to the ESG literature by examining whether IoT infrastructure access is associated with human resource.