Developing a Farmer-Centered Framework for Assessing Adoption Readiness of Digital Agricultural Technologies: Validation with German Farmers

As agriculture undergoes digital transformation, farmers face the challenge of evaluating an expanding array of technologies for operational integration. This study addresses this challenge by developing and validating a farmer-centered adoption readiness framework, which extends technological maturity assessment by embedding legal, social, and organizational dimensions relevant to agricultural technology adoption. As an exploratory case study, we applied the framework to German arable farming. In autumn 2024, we conducted interviews with 20 German farmers, who evaluated five key technology groups using seven assessment criteria, followed by a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of the framework itself. Results revealed distinct adoption readiness patterns: Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) technologies demonstrated highest scores across criteria and required minimal operational disruption, followed closely by Farm Management Information Systems (FMIS), Variable Rate Technologies (VRT), and Recording and Mapping Technologies (RMT). In contrast, Robotic Systems and Smart Machines (RSSM) exhibited substantially lower evaluation scores and necessitated operational restructuring. Qualitative interviews confirmed the framework's utility as a decision support tool while identifying key improvements, particularly the need to incorporate economic assessment criteria. This research contributes a farmer-centered adoption readiness that enables farmers to make informed technology adoption decisions while providing stakeholders with insights for addressing adoption barriers in agricultural digitalization.