A Qualitative Exploration of Drone Technology Adoption in Southland-Otago Farming Practice
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Authors
The, Dewi
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Degree
Master of Applied Management
Grantor
Southern Institute of Technology
Date
2023-04
Supervisors
Wood, Jacob
Type
Masters Dissertation
Ngā Upoko Tukutuku (Māori subject headings)
Keyword
Drone technology
Agriculture
Adoption
Awareness
Thematic Analysis
Agriculture
Adoption
Awareness
Thematic Analysis
ANZSRC Field of Research Code (2020)
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Abstract
This research aimed to explore Southland Otago farmers’ perspective on adopting drone technology in their agriculture practice. The objectives were to identify the level of adoption, awareness, driving factors, and barriers to adopting among farmers. The research employed an interpretive research philosophy and an explanatory approach to identify farmers’ perceptions. By interviewing 10 participants, the following thematic analysis found a low-level adoption of drone technology but a high awareness of the advantages of drone technology for monitoring livestock and farm conditions, mapping, spaying, and mitigating risk in farming operations. The results from the study showed that the key factors driving the adoption of drone technology among Southland-Otago farmers include demands for time efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and real-time and remote monitoring capabilities. However, the study also found that several barriers hinder farmers from fully adopting drone technology, including drone costs, limited functionality and challenges in integrating drone technology with existing farm technologies. To encourage adoption, efforts should strengthen these driving factors and address barriers through collaboration. The collaboration among farmers, researchers, farm organisations and drone technology companies can facilitate the sharing experience, best practices and demonstration events to allow farmers to witness firsthand the capabilities of drones in various agricultural tasks.
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CC BY-NC Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International