Loading...
ICT adoption by southern Thai rubber plantation smallholders
Author(s)
Date Issued
January 1, 2016
Type
Article
Abstract
The ASEAN economies of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia account for about twothirds of the world's rubber output, with Thai rubber production being only second to rice as an important economic component of GDP. As such, government agencies have made many efforts to introduce ICT technology into the agricultural sector including technology transfer programs, e-services and e-libraries with limited success. Additionally, given the continued plunge in global rubber prices and the associated hardships being encountered by rubber farmers, the importance of understanding ICT's role and use in this sector cannot be overstated. This research therefore was undertaken to explore the components hindering or enhancing the ability of Information and Communication Technology adoption with Thai rubber farmers. This study aimed to examine empirically whether socio-economic variables and farmer's perception have a systematic link with the adoption of ICT services by employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were gathered from a questionnaire distributed to three adjoining provinces in rural southern Thailand between December 2013 and May 2014 of which 264 small rubber farmers were surveyed. The findings reveal that socio-economic variables have indirect effects on ICT adoption via the perceptions of rubber smallholder's households. Significant perceptions include the perception of usefulness, perceived quality, social influence and facilitating conditions. Possible policies to promote more ICT adoption among rubber smallholders are also discussed.
Citation
International Journal of Applied Business and Economic Research, 14(13), 9421-9440, 2016