SURVEY: Assessing Digital Technology Adoption Level Among Southern US Farmers

Dear Producers, 

You are invited to participate in a UNC Charlotte research study entitled “Assessing Digital Technology Adoption Level Among Southern US Farmers”. The purpose and goals of this study are to explore the digital tools used in your farm operations or activities, examine the effectiveness of these digital tools, and identify any limitations or challenges encountered while using these digital tools. 

Opeyemi Alabi, a second-year PhD student in the Computing and Information Systems program, is the principal investigator for this study under the supervision of Dr. Nadia Najjar and Dr. David Wilson. I obtained my Bachelor's and MS degrees in Agronomy, which speaks to my passion for agriculture and digital technologies. Digital technologies are important tools that will champion the success of climate-smart precision agriculture. With the rapidly changing climate and unpredictable and extreme weather events, there is a rising need for farmers to adopt these digital technologies widely to ensure food security in the United States. This survey will help gather information on and assess the current level of adoption of digital technology in the southern US. This kind of information is not available for Southern United States farms. Collecting this information is the first step which would allow us to identify the challenges limiting wide adoption, then, building or proposing solutions would come next which would be beneficial to all the stakeholders involved (that is, farmers, nation, and the environment).   

Our study seeks to collect and analyze your survey responses to gain insights into the aforementioned goals. Once the data is collected, any identifying information will be removed before analysis. We do not foresee any risks or discomforts to you by participating in this research. You will not have any direct benefit; however, your participation will provide information on how some of the problems inhibiting adoption or limiting the full utilization of these technologies could be addressed. The findings from this study can be provided to you directly as well. 

If you consent to participate in the study, you will be asked a series of questions that will take less than 25 minutes to complete. Although the consent is voluntary, we would very much appreciate your participation. 

If you have any questions about the study, you can contact Opeyemi Alabi at oalabi1@charlotte.edu, or Dr. Nadia Najjar (Faculty Advisor) at nadia.najjar@charlotte.edu. 

Best regards, 

Opeyemi Alabi