Investigating the systemic dimension of agricultural technology adoption process: a mixed-method analysis of the adoption determinants through the perceptions of italian stakeholders.

Digital technologies are widely recognised as strategic enablers for transforming agri-food systems towards sustainability, efficiency, and competitiveness. However, despite their potential, adoption among farmers remains limited and uneven. Existing research has mainly focused on farm-level determinants such as attitudes, perceived usefulness, economic constraints, and technological characteristics, while the systemic dimension – including stakeholder networks, advisory infrastructures, governance arrangements, and data ecosystems – remains underexplored. This dissertation addresses this gap by analysing how individual and systemic factors jointly shape digital technology adoption in agriculture, with a focus on the Italian context. Grounded in a multilevel perspective, the study conceptualises adoption as the result of the interaction between behavioural processes and the broader innovation ecosystem. A sequential mixed-method design structures the research in three phases. First, a systematic and scoping review clarifies the systemic dimension of adoption, revealing the dominance of individual-level approaches and the fragmented treatment of governance and value-chain dynamics. Second, an exploratory stakeholder study in Italy highlights structural barriers such as advisory and market fragmentation, weak coordination mechanisms, and misalignment between technological supply and farm needs. Although economic and environmental pressures act as drivers for change, the innovation ecosystem is not yet sufficiently supportive of widespread adoption. Third, a nationwide survey tests these insights within an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour framework, incorporating Technical Support and Climate Change Perception. Structural modelling confirms that intention strongly predicts both possession and actual use of digital technologies. Technical Support emerges as a key enabler of intention, while subjective norms play a limited role in a fragmented farming landscape. Overall, the findings demonstrate that digital adoption cannot scale without supportive ecosystems. Effective policies must simultaneously strengthen innovation networks, advisory systems, and governance structures, while addressing individual motivations, to accelerate agriculture’s digital transition.