Assessing drivers of organic agriculture adoption among smallholder communities in Colombia: an application of the Technology acceptance model
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This study examines the socio-psychological factors that influence the adoption of organic farming practices among Colombian smallholder farmers, applying an extended Technology acceptance model (TAM). Organic agriculture offers a pathway toward resilient and ecologically sustainable farming systems, yet adoption remains limited in many rural contexts. Using a structured online survey, data were collected from 350 farmers between February 2023 and May 2024 in the central region of Antioquia, Colombia. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to assess the relationships among key constructs, including perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, demonstrability of results, and perceived cost. Findings reveal that subjective norms emerged as the strongest social influence, significantly shaping both perceived usefulness and attitudes, underscoring the vital role of community, family, and peer dynamics. Perceived quality of results and demonstrability also enhanced perceived usefulness, highlighting the importance of tangible and observable benefits. Perceived ease of use had a strong effect on both usefulness and attitudes, confirming the importance of reducing complexity. In contrast, perceived cost did not negatively influence attitudes and was positively associated with usefulness, reflecting the complexity of financial considerations in adoption decisions. Overall, the model explained approximately 40% of the variance in farmers’ adoption intentions. Practical implications are discussed in the context of extension services, community-based diffusion strategies, and supportive policy frameworks to foster organic agriculture among smallholders in developing countries.