GROBOGAN — Climate change triggers droughts, shifting rainfall patterns, and crop growth disruptions that increasingly threaten the sustainability of rice production. To address these challenges, recent research reveals that farmers' acceptance of drone-based crop monitoring systems serves as a vital key to building climate-resilient agriculture. This study was conducted by Asikin Muchtar from Universitas Indonesia Timur, Farida Hariani from Al-Azhar University, and Agus Suprapto from Universitas Tidar in 2026. The findings are essential for shaping effective precision agriculture adoption strategies across major grain-producing regions.
Contextually, Grobogan Regency in Central Java plays a strategic role as one of the national rice production hubs. However, local farmers constantly face risks from water shortages and extreme weather events that hamper productivity. Drone-based monitoring offers real-time aerial imagery regarding vegetation health, water availability, and field conditions that are difficult to inspect through traditional methods. Despite these technological capabilities, the availability of drones does not automatically guarantee immediate field adoption by local farmers.
Using a quantitative approach through a cross-sectional survey of 200 rice farmers in Grobogan Regency, the researchers evaluated various behavioral and perceptual factors. Data gathered via structured questionnaires were analyzed using multiple linear regression to determine the primary drivers of technology acceptance. The majority of sampled farmers were in their productive working age with ten to twenty years of farming experience, managing land areas under one hectare.
The main findings confirm that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust in technology, facilitating conditions, and climate change awareness exert a positive and significant influence on farmers' acceptance. Among these drivers, perceived usefulness proved to be the strongest factor encouraging farmers to embrace drone monitoring. Conversely, perceived cost remains the primary barrier that reduces farmers' willingness to adopt high-tech equipment. Collectively, these variables explain a substantial portion of the variation in farmers' technology acceptance levels.
The implications of this study are critical for public policy formulation and agricultural extension programs. Local governments, extension officers, and technology providers should collaborate to establish affordable shared-drone services or cooperative management models to lower financial barriers. Furthermore, combining climate adaptation education with digital literacy training will empower farmers to interpret aerial data efficiently and make timely adaptive decisions amid climate uncertainty.
Authors:
Asikin Muchtar (Universitas Indonesia Timur)
Farida Hariani (Al-Azhar University)
Agus Suprapto (Universitas Tidar)
Research Source:
Farmers' Acceptance of Drone-Based Crop Monitoring Systems for Climate-Resilient Rice Production
East Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (EAJMR), 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/eajmr.v5i9.296
URL: https://journaleajmr.my.id/index.php/eajmr
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