Search results

This paper aims to study the antecedents of Internet of Things (IoT) adoption among farmers and determine how trust in the technology influences its adoption when mediated by perceived value and risk. Through the conceptualization of trust and perceived risk, the authors factor in farmers’ perceptions of agricultural technology providers and discuss different forms of perceived value, spanning economic, green and epistemic value.

This paper develops a distinctive research design, drawing on elements of the value-based adoption and technology acceptance models. By linking different elements of perceived value with IoT technology, the authors also apply the service-dominant logic to this study. They study how trust affects perceived value and risk and then determine how perceived value and risk, in turn, affect IoT adoption. The authors test the hypotheses by developing a structural equation model to analyze the results of a survey, wherein 492 farmers from Iowa, the USA, participated.

The results show a positive relationship between trust and perceived value and a negative relationship between trust and perceived risk. Perceived value had a positive impact on IoT adoption, whereas perceived risk had a negative impact on IoT adoption.

The research findings on trust and perceived value and risk are timely and relevant for business-to-business (B2B) marketing practitioners and agricultural stakeholders, especially in an era where farmers are expressing growing concerns about data handling risk posed by IoT technology adoption.

The research findings signal a transition in focus from the goods-dominant logic to the service-dominant logic in agriculture, whereby farmers are drawn to IoT technology because of perceived economic, green and epistemic value and as a result, can differentiate themselves on how well they deploy operant resources. This paper not only provides a unique conceptualization of perceived value but also pave the way for a richer conceptualization of IoT core functions that enable farmers to fulfill green and epistemic goals. This is the first B2B marketing paper discussing the antecedents of IoT adoption in agriculture, such as farmers’ perceptions of both monetary and non-monetary forms of value and perceived data handling risk.

This paper aims to discuss the concepts of co-creation and value-in-use with a specific focus on big data technology in agriculture. The authors provide a unique narrative of how farmers experience co-creation and value-in-use in monetary and non-monetary forms.

The qualitative study is based on semi-structured interviews with mid-Western farmers. The constant comparative method was used for coding the data. Results were analyzed through open and axial coding, and matrix queries helped establish linkages between different concepts via NVivo 12.

The paper provides rich insight into co-creation through direct and indirect interaction, autonomous co-creation and epistemic, monetary and environmental value-in-use in the digital agriculture sector. Interestingly, co-creation through indirect interaction gives rise to epistemic value-in-use. Also, value-co-destruction can undermine co-creation, while relational actors and the concept of psychological ownership are very relevant to the process of co-creation.

The authors build on the extant literature on co-creation in knowledge-intensive B2B sectors with the unique findings linking different forms of co-creation with value-in-use.

The findings on co-creation and value-in-use are beneficial to diverse agriculture stakeholders such as farmers, agriculture technology providers, extension agents and policymakers. Agricultural technology providers can determine how to make the co-creation process more meaningful for farmers and also create suitable technology tools that enrich farmers’ knowledge about crop management. Agricultural stakeholders can learn how to develop big data analytic tools and marketing narratives to maximize value-in-use and pre-empt value co-destruction.

The research can impact policy, as it addresses a very relevant issue of how farmers relate to big data technology amidst growing consolidation and privacy concerns in the digital agriculture sector.

Our work is both theoretically and contextually relevant. We incorporate elements of service-dominant and customer-dominant logic while analyzing farmers’ perspectives of co-creation and value-in-use.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the post-harvest supply chain enablers (PHSCEs) for vertical integration to enhance rural employability, farmer profitability and rural produce marketability (i.e. market prospects) in the post-harvest supply chain (PHSC). The impact of vertical integration is also explored for various commercial produces.

A structural equation modeling (SEM) of PHSCEs for vertical integration was developed to enhance market prospects, rural employability and farmer profitability. The impact of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer market prospects are explored in various dimensions for stakeholders such as farmers, manufacturers (processors), distributors and retailers. The fuzzy technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (F-TOPSIS) was used to prioritize these PHSCEs to improve market prospects and rural employability.

The PHSCEs are clustered into three groups, namely, initiatives at the strategic frontier, initiatives at the tactical frontier and concerns for rural employability via vertical integration using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and SEM to prove the null hypothesis. With F-TOPSIS results, the availability of warehousing was found to be the most crucial enabler when observing the PHSCEs from the initiatives’ perspective. The technology adaptability and availability, institute for training and research and information infrastructure and information visibility were found to be the key PHSCEs when observed from PHSC stakeholders’ perspectives.

The implementation of this study will improve the rural produce marketability, rural employability, B2B marketing (i.e. effective distribution) and subsequent value chains with the practice of vertical integration for fresh produce at the rural level.

The outcomes of this study have a key role in developing the rural regions and improving rural livelihoods via value addition. The awareness of commercial cultivation and value addition in rural areas needs to be improved. This will help farmers to earn better revenues with improved market prospects in comparison to the revenues obtained from the cultivation of staple/conventional crops.

In an era of cold chains and food processing, this study aims to disseminate awareness about value addition for commercial and fresh produces at the rural level. The implication of this study will improve rural produce marketability, rural employability and farmer profitability at the rural level with the level of vertical integration.

This study examines the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) within the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) context, using a comprehensive scientometric analysis to map the evolution of IoT adoption.

Utilising data sourced from Scopus and analysed through CiteSpace, this research encompasses documents from 2018 to early 2024. It employs a two-phase analysis methodology, starting with a descriptive exploration of publication trends that provides an overview of the IoT adoption field by presenting yearly publication statistics. The second phase of the study encompasses a detailed scientometric analysis, including co-citation and burst analysis.

The research underscores significant growth in IoT adoption studies and their broadening impact across various sectors. Key advancements include addressing security challenges, integrating IoT with emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) and applying these in critical areas such as agriculture and healthcare.

This article is a valuable resource for stakeholders in the digital ecosystem – including policymakers, educational institutions and industry leaders – engaged with IoT adoption in the context of the 4IR .

This article contributes to the literature by providing a scientometric analysis that charts the development of IoT adoption research within the framework of the fourth industrial revolution, presenting a unique perspective on its integration with other cutting-edge technologies.