Farmers’ intention towards drone adoption in granary areas of KADA, IADA Kemasin Semerak, Kelantan and IADA KETARA, Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract Rice is Malaysia’s staple food and, therefore, critical to the nation’s food security. To ensure sufficient production, the country relies on designated granary areas as government-recognised regions dedicated to paddy cultivation, with major and minor granary areas spread across the country. However, the paddy production in Kelantan and Terengganu falls short due to factors such as ageing farmers, farm size, labour, etc. Drone technology offers a promising solution, particularly for automating fertiliser application, pesticide spraying, and seed broadcasting. The technology aligns with the principles of sustainable agriculture, as it supports both environmental stewardship and economic sustainability in food production while enhancing productivity and food security. Although farmers acknowledge the advantages of drones, the widespread adoption of this technology remains elusive. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the intentions of paddy farmers to adopt drones in granary areas of KADA, IADA Kemasin Semerak, and KETARA. Data was collected from 384 respondents through surveys and analysed using descriptive analysis. The results revealed high levels of knowledge (K) of respondents, subjective norms (SN), perceived behaviour control (PBC), attitudes (ATT), and intention (INT) towards drone adoption among the respondents. In conclusion, the study suggests a high level of perceived intention for drone adoption among paddy farmers. Based on these findings, it is recommended that paddy farming development authorities organise programmes to promote and encourage drone use. This will help farmers overcome challenges in paddy farming that drone technology can address.