台灣青農之精準農業物聯網採用分析

Abstract

精準農業是利用現代化技術收集和分析土壤、氣候、植物等數據，以科學精準的方式進行農業生產。對於青農而言，精準農業可以幫助他們應對氣候變化所帶來的挑戰。然而，青農在應用精準農業和通訊技術總面臨著挑戰，包括缺乏資金和技術能力，以及對技術問題和風險的保守態度，以致於對相關科技的接受度仍不普遍。面對農業物聯網技術（Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture, IoT4Ag）採用之使用者族群所涉及的知識和資源差距、技術要求和財務限制等挑戰，本研究試圖透過深度訪談了解青農對於IoT4Ag技術的想法和接受度，以及不同種使用者族群所面臨的瓶頸點。而在研究結果中發現，部分使用者對於IoT4Ag技術的必要性持懷疑態度，認為傳統方法已足夠滿足他們的需求；其次，IoT4Ag技術的複雜性涉及多個領域，也帶來了技術要求令人生畏的挑戰，影響了使用者對這些技術的了解和應用；再者，財務限制是另一個障礙，因為實施IoT4Ag技術需要大量投資，這超出了一些使用者的財務能力；此外，IoT4Ag技術的適用性需要考慮作物特性、種植規模和經濟價值等因素。整體來看，為了克服這些挑戰，IoT4Ag系統供應商應重視教育訓練、支持解決方案、建立信任、客製化支持、提供安全保護、促進合作、推廣成功案例和開發生態系統。這些方面對於幫助農業領域的使用者實現IoT4Ag技術的成功應用至關重要。 在本研究中亦發現，技術知識不足是決策應用使用者族群和猶豫不決的使用者所面臨的重要障礙，而不明確的應用場景也增加了選擇的困難。另外，高投資成本和缺乏可靠的技術支持和售後服務可能影響使用者的信心和採用意願。對於忠誠使用者團體，數據隱私和安全性是主要關切之重點，而技術更新和升級的挑戰需要不斷的學習和適應。為了解決這些挑戰，IoT4Ag系統供應商應提供對應的訓練和教育項目，建立專業諮詢團隊，促進合作和知識共享。最後，本研究亦強調了IoT4Ag技術在農業領域的重要性和應用價值，它可以幫助農業使用者實現智慧化和精準化管理，提高生產效率、減少資源浪費，並提供市場資訊和銷售支持，從而使他們更具競爭力。 目前的研究在IoT4Ag技術在農業領域的了解上仍有些許限制和遺漏之處，包括樣本數不足、質性研究的普遍性有限以及對不同人口、情境和其他變項之了解、變項的考慮不足等問題，但對於此議題之理解已有初步的累積，未來的延伸研究可持續透過擴大樣本範疇、考慮不同作物類型和產業，並採納多元研究方法、以及關注新興科技模型和相關理論和變項之發展，以利對於此一研究方向有更深入的理解和應用。

關鍵字：精準農業、青農、物聯網技術、質性研究、新科技接受、UTAUT

Precision agriculture utilizes modern technology to collect and analyze data on soil, climate, and plants, enabling scientific and precise agricultural production. For young farmers, precision agriculture can help them tackle the challenges posed by climate change. However, young farmers often face challenges in adopting precision agriculture and communication technologies, including a lack of funding and technical capabilities, as well as a conservative attitude towards technology issues and risks, leading to a lack of widespread acceptance of relevant technologies. The adoption of Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag) involves challenges such as knowledge and resource gaps, technical requirements, and financial constraints. This study aims to explore young farmers’ thoughts and acceptance of IoT4Ag technology, as well as the bottlenecks they encounter at different stages, through in-depth interviews. The research findings reveal that some users hold a skeptical attitude towards the necessity of IoT4Ag technology, believing that traditional methods are sufficient to meet their needs. Furthermore, the complexity of IoT4Ag technology spans multiple domains, presenting daunting technical challenges that affect users’ understanding and application of these technologies. Additionally, financial constraints pose another barrier, as implementing IoT4Ag technology requires substantial investment that exceeds the financial capabilities of some users. Moreover, the applicability of IoT4Ag technology needs to consider factors such as crop characteristics, cultivation scale, and economic value. Overall, to overcome these challenges, IoT4Ag system suppliers should prioritize education and training, support solutions, establish trust, provide customized support, ensure security protection, foster collaboration, promote successful cases, and develop an ecosystem. These aspects are crucial in helping users in the agricultural field achieve successful applications of IoT4Ag technology. In this study, it was also found that insufficient technical knowledge is a significant barrier for decision-making and hesitant users during the application phase, while unclear application scenarios increase the difficulty of choice. Additionally, high investment costs and a lack of reliable technical support and after-sales service may affect users’ confidence and adoption willingness. For loyal user groups, data privacy and security are major concerns, and the challenges of technological updates and upgrades require continuous learning and adaptation. To address these challenges, IoT4Ag system providers should offer corresponding training and educational programs, establish professional consulting teams, promote collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Finally, this study also emphasizes the importance and application value of IoT4Ag technology in the agricultural sector. It can help agricultural users achieve intelligent and precision management, improve production efficiency, reduce resource waste, and provide market information and sales support, making them more competitive. Currently, there are still some limitations and omissions in understanding IoT4Ag technology in the agricultural field, including insufficient sample size, limited generalizability of qualitative research, and inadequate understanding of different populations, contexts, and other variables. However, there has been preliminary accumulation of understanding on this issue, and future extended research can continue to expand the scope of samples, consider different crop types and industries, adopt diverse research methods, and focus on the development of emerging technological models, relevant theories, and variables to facilitate a deeper understanding and application of this research direction.

Keywords: precision agriculture, young farmers, IoT technology, qualitative research, new technology acceptance, UTAUT