Determinants of the Adoption of Digital Technologies in Pineapple Production in Southern Benin

Agriculture is increasingly digital, with increasing use of information technologies and geospatial tools, promoting real-time soil data collection, high-quality soil cultivation, and adequate fertilization, including optimal soil hydration. These digital technologies also simplify many operations, including planning agricultural operations, financing, reporting, and monitoring many operations and agricultural performance. However, very little research has focused on the determinants of the adoption of these digital agriculture practices in Benin. This study fills this gap by using representative data from quantitative surveys of 400 randomly selected pineapple producers to analyze the simultaneous adoption of various digital technologies and the factors determining this adoption in a developing country such as Benin. Using a bivariate probit model, the study shows that the adoption of digital agriculture is significantly influenced not only by sociodemographic and economic variables (producer's education level, access to credit, household size) and access to agricultural advice, but also and above all by producers' perceptions (perception of high usage or purchase costs); the latter plays a crucial role in this adoption. The main policy implications include facilitating producers' access to credit and agricultural advisory services through continuing training to improve producers' technical skills in the use and management of digital technologies.