Factors Influencing Behavioural Intention to Adopt the E-AgriFinance App Among Farmers: Extended UTAUT With Technology Readiness

Abstract

This study examines the factors influencing behavioral intention of farmers to adopt a mobile agricultural finance application called e-AgriFinance. This study develops the conceptual framework from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and technology readiness. Via a questionnaire survey, data were collected from 278 farmers who are producing the three major crops, namely oil palm, rubber, and cocoa in Sarawak, Malaysia. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique with R plspm package was employed to analyze the data. The research revealed that the motivator dimension of technology readiness affects all the four UTAUT factors: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions but the inhibitor dimension negatively affects only two factors: performance expectancy and social influence. Besides, all the four UTAUT factors are found to be positively related to farmers’ behavioral intention to adopt the e-AgriFinance app, with social influence being the relatively strongest factor.