Author

  • Nur Ain Yaacob

    • Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
    • Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Persiaran Seremban Tiga 1, Seremban Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Shaufique Fahmi Sidique

    • School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan

    • Department of Social and Development Science, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Ahmad Hanis Izani Abdul Hadi

    • Department of Agribusiness and Bioresource Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

Abstract

Smart farming technologies are essential for enhancing food security and the welfare of the farmers. The Internet of Things (IoT) facilitates real-time monitoring and administration of agricultural activities. In Malaysia, IoT is vigorously endorsed through the National Agrofood Policy 2.0 and Agriculture 4.0, yet its implementation and sustained utilization are inconsistent. Previous research has mostly emphasized quantitative determinants of adoption, leaving farmers' lived experiences largely unexplored. This study examines the factors, obstacles, and farmers’ generated suggestions for the adoption of IoT among farmers in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. In these two central region states, smart farming efforts are vigorously encouraged. A semi-structured interview was performed with 10 farmers who had utilized IoT for over one year, and the data were thematically analyzed to discern factors affecting acceptance, obstacles faced, and farmers’ suggestions. The results indicated that adoption is influenced by perceived utility, user friendliness, institutional and external assistance, elevated expenses, technological apprehension, and operational challenges. To strengthen the adoption, they recommended strengthening system usability, augmenting technical support and accountability, securing ongoing government backing, broadening training options, offering financial aid, and presenting solutions that demonstrate the real value.

Keywords

References

  • Adnan, N., Md Nordin, S., & Anwar, A. (2020). Transition pathways for Malaysian paddy farmers to sustainable agricultural practices: An integrated exhibiting tactics to adopt green fertilizer. Land Use Policy, 90, 104255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104255
  • Ahmad, A. A., Nik Omar, N. R., & Engku Ariff, E. E. (2024). The smart agriculture revolution transforming controlled environment farming in Malaysia. FFTC Journal of Agricultural Policy, 2, 1–14.
  • Akpojotor, L. O. (2016). Awareness and usage of electronic information resources among postgraduate students of library and information science in southern Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/1408
  • Al-Emran, M., Mezhuyev, V., & Kamaludin, A. (2018). Technology acceptance model in m-learning context: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 125, 389–412.
  • Ansari, M. N., Gupta, S., Kumar, D., & Hussain, B. (2024). Adoption challenges and incentives for IoT and AI in agriculture. In Agriculture 4.0 (pp. 355–372). https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003570219-18
  • Azlan, Z. H. Z., Junaini, S. N., Bolhassan, N. A., Wahi, R., & Arip, M. A. (2023). Harvesting a sustainable future: An overview of smart agriculture’s role in social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production, 434, 140338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.140338
  • Bhattacherjee, A. (2001). Understanding information systems continuance: An expectation-confirmation model. MIS Quarterly, 25(3), 351–370.
  • Berita Harian. (2023, July 9). Agriculture ministry: SMART paddy field programme will end dependence on rice imports. Berita Harian. https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2023/07/09/agriculture-ministry-smart-paddy-field-programme-will-end-dependence-on-rice-imports/78760
  • Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  • Cimino, A., Coniglio, I. M., Corvello, V., Longo, F., Sagawa, J. K., & Solina, V. (2024). Exploring small farmers’ behavioral intention to adopt digital platforms for sustainable and successful agricultural ecosystems. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 204, 123436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123436
  • Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452230153
  • En, G. W. W., & Hui, I. T. S. (2023). Development of smart farming technologies in Malaysia: Insights from bibliometric analysis. Journal of Agribusiness Marketing, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.56527/fama.jabm.10.1.3
  • Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2012). Smallholders and family farmers (Sustainability Pathways factsheet). FAO.
  • Jaroenwanit, P., Leelapatra, W., & Szabó, Z. (2022). Drivers of Farmers' Continuance Intention on Smart Farming and Sustainability in Thailand. https://doi.org/10.1109/skima57145.2022.10029670
  • Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). A review of social science approaches to agricultural innovation and their relevance for smart farming. Agricultural Systems, 184, 102–115.
  • Kumar, V., Sharma, K. V., Kedam, N., Patel, A., Kate, T. R., & Rathnayake, U. (2024). A comprehensive review on smart and sustainable agriculture using IoT technologies. Smart Agricultural Technology, 8, 100487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2024.100487
  • Levitt, H. M., Motulsky, S. L., Wertz, F. J., Morrow, S. L., & Ponterotto, J. G. (2017). Recommendations for designing and reviewing qualitative research in psychology: Promoting methodological integrity. Qualitative Psychology, 4(1), 2–22.
  • Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. (2022). Digital Agtech. https://mdec.my/digitalagtech
  • Michels, M., Fecke, W., Feil, J.-H., Musshoff, O., Pigisch, J., & Krone, S. (2020). Smartphone adoption and use in agriculture: Empirical evidence from Germany. Precision Agriculture, 21, 403–425. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-019-09675-5
  • Ronaghi, M. H., & Forouharfar, A. (2020). A contextualized study of the usage of the Internet of Things (IoTs) in smart farming in a Middle Eastern country within the UTAUT model. Technology in Society, 63, 101415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101415
  • Venkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B., & Davis, F. D. (2003). User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, 27(3), 425–478.
  • Wei En, G., Wee, G. W., & Devanthran, H. (2020). Development of smart farming technologies and its application in Malaysia. International Journal of Science & Technology Research, 9(8), 561–568.
  • World Bank. (2024). Malaysia economic monitor: Farming the future—Harvesting Malaysia’s agricultural resilience through digital technologies. World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099100924041013169/P506961179149705518d2e155d032837a3f
  • Yeo, M. L., & Keske, C. M. (2024). From profitability to trust: Factors shaping digital agriculture adoption. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 8, 1456991. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1456991

Downloads

No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.

How to Cite

Yaacob, N. A., Sidique, S. F., Burhan, N. A. S., & Abdul Hadi, A. H. I. (2026). Beyond Adoption: Drivers, Challenges and Farmer-Led Recommendations for Sustained “Internet of Things” (IoT) Use in Malaysian Smallholder Farming. Information Management and Business Review, 18(1(J), 65-77. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v18i1(J).4805

Share this article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Ain Yaacob, Shaufique Fahmi Sidique, Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan, Ahmad Hanis Izani Abdul Hadi (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team  edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.

This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.

Keywords

Section

Research Paper

Published in

Vol. 18 No. 1(J) (2026) Halal Markets, Digital Agriculture & Governance View issue contents

Published

2026-02-28

Submissions

Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.

Make a Submission