Understanding Japanese rice farmers’ preferences for adopting organic agricultural system and uptaking innovative machinery using best-worst scaling method

• Identifying farmers’ trade-offs among attributes in innovative machinery adoption. • Positive effectiveness and certainty of rice output are the highest two attributes. • Environmental concern and familiarity with machinery are the least two attributes. • The cost of machinery is not ranked as the top attribute by farmers. • By grouping farmers into three segments, we identified distinct preference patterns. Organic farming is a sustainable agricultural system that promotes ecological balance, improves soil quality, and supports biodiversity. Despite its environmental benefits, organic farming remains a minor segment within the agricultural industry in Japan, hindered by challenges such as effective weed control. To address this, a compact and smart weeding robot, AIGAMO, has been developed, incorporating advanced technologies to assist rice farmers in managing weeds within paddy fields. By facilitating the transition from conventional to organic farming, AIGAMO represents a promising innovation in precision agriculture. This study employs a survey-based Best-Worst Scaling (BWS) method to investigate the preferences of rice farmers in Japan (N=186) regarding the adoption of organic farming practices and the AIGAMO robot. Respondents evaluated key attributes such as weeding effectiveness, productivity, environmental impact, and familiarity with the technology. Results indicate that farmers prioritize the robot's ability to achieve effective weed control ( effectiveness , std.ratio scale =100) and enhance the yield and quality of organic rice ( output , 93.40), while placing less emphasis on its environmental benefits ( environment , 9.07) and familiarity with the robot ( familiarity , 1.37). Further, a cluster analysis segmented respondents into three distinct groups, each characterized by unique preference patterns and demographic traits. This study reveals that AIGAMO weeding robot serves as a transformative force in promoting organic adoption among Japanese rice farmers, while providing actionable insights for stakeholders — including policymakers and agricultural machinery manufacturers — on strategies to advance smart technology adoption and sustainable agriculture in Japan.