ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR AGRICULTURE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF FARMERS' PERCEPTIONS, ACCEPTANCE, ADOPTION AND BARRIERS

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping agriculture, enabling the application of data for efficient decision-making, precision farming, crop monitoring, pest management, disease detection, smart irrigation, yield prediction, and various aspects of farm automation. Yet, to successfully gain a foothold in farms, factors like farmers' perceptions, their acceptance, desire, and readiness to adopt, as well as the capability to surmount socioeconomic, technological, and institutional challenges, must also make a difference. This article systematically collates the available information on farmers' perspectives on, acceptance of, readiness to adopt, and the obstacles related to AI in the agricultural context. The PRISMA 2020 guideline has been followed to select studies that are related, evaluated for inclusion, and finally, per the criteria, combined into a systematic synthesis. The review mainly discusses the aspects that influence the use of AI, like perceived usefulness, ease of use, trust, digital literacy, affordability, farm size, socioeconomic characteristics, availability of digital infrastructure, and access to agricultural technical advisory services. Main challenges identified involve the high cost of implementing AI, poor connectivity, weak rural infrastructure, low levels of technological knowledge, unavailability of support services, concerns about data privacy, distrust of algorithmic bias, language barriers, and inequalities impacting smallholder farmers. Besides barriers, the review indicates the potential of leveraging AI through extension services, agricultural mobile apps, precision farming, climate-smart agriculture, early-warning systems, and tailored farm advisories. By drawing out technical, behavioral, socioeconomic, and institutional perspectives, the review pinpoints important research questions and presents a farmholder-oriented setup to explain the process of taking up AI in farming. The outcomes can be used by scientific experts, policymakers, extension personnel, and software developers to create low-cost, reliable, and accessible AI systems aimed at promoting sustainable agricultural development.