Farmers willingness to adopt drone technology for pesticide application in rice fields

Abstract:

When a rice farmer in Manipur watched a drone spray a neighbour’s paddy in under fifteen minutes — a job that normally takes two labourers most of a morning — his first reaction wasn’t enthusiasm but scepticism: “That machine can’t know where the insects are.” This research explored what drives or discourages such farmers from adopting drone-based pesticide application. A structured questionnaire was administered to 240 rice growers across four districts of Manipur and Haryana during 2023. Respondents who had either witnessed or participated in drone demonstrations were categorised as “aware” (n = 156); those without exposure as “unaware” (n = 84). Perceived usefulness (mean score 4.1/5) and social influence (3.8/5) were the strongest positive predictors of adoption willingness, while cost affordability (2.4/5) and access to technical support (2.9/5) were the primary barriers. Logistic regression showed that farm size, education level, and prior exposure to demonstrations were significant determinants of willingness (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that subsidy schemes, community demonstration plots, and after-sales service networks could accelerate drone adoption in Indian rice systems.\