The technological translation from Industry 4.0 to Precision Agriculture: adoption and perception of Italian farmers

Purpose: This research aims to identify the rate of knowledge, adoption and perceptions of Italian farmers towards Precision Agriculture technologies. Methodology: An online survey was carried out, using the Snowball sampling method, among 755 Italian farmers and involving the main Italian trade associations. Findings: The findings showed that among Italian farmers the technologies related to Monitoring appear to be the best known, adopted and perceived as the most useful; followed by technologies related to Automation and IoT. Managerial implications: Considering the results that emerged from this research, it seems necessary to undertake models of training development paths so that farmers can deepen the themes of technological integration with an orientation towards sustainability. Research limitations: The present research, not being able to be considered exhaustive for the understanding of the phenomenon, aims to be the starting point for future research aimed at a further analysis on the models of diffusion and technological integration. Originality: The models of technological integration for agricultural cultivation techniques are constantly evolving. Through the analysis of knowledge, use and perception of farmers it could be possible to detect new models for the diffusion of technology.