Building farmers capacity for sustainable agricultural resilience through the diffusion of innovations in ICT advisory using partial least squares structural equation modeling

Abstract

Abstract The digital transformation of agriculture is reshaping food systems by shifting conventional extension models toward technology-supported advisory services. However, achieving long-term sustainability requires more than infrastructure; it requires strengthening farmers cognitive and behavioral capacity to interpret and apply digital information in practice. This study examines how perceived innovation attributes within the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) framework influence agricultural resilience, positioning farmers capacity as a key socio-behavioral mediating mechanism. A quantitative explanatory approach using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to survey data from 396 farmers engaged with commonly used digital advisory platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, YouTube) in Sidenreng Rappang Regency, Indonesia. The results indicate that all five perceived innovation attributes—relative advantage, compatibility, complexity (inversely operationalized as ease of use), trialability, and observability—significantly enhance farmers capacity. Farmers capacity, in turn, has a significant positive association with agricultural resilience and acts as an indirect pathway linking perceived innovation attributes to resilience outcomes. These findings suggest that localized resilience emerges through a process in which perceived technological benefits, experiential learning, and socio-cultural alignment support capacity formation. By extending DOI beyond adoption-oriented perspectives, this study highlights how ICT-based advisory services contribute to capacity development rather than technology uptake alone. The findings also have potential implications for broader sustainability goals, including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

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