Digital motivation, knowledge, and skills: Pathways to adaptive millennial farmers

Abstract The transformation of the agricultural sector amidst the decline in farmer regeneration in the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the threat of climate change demands a new approach that combines digital technology with the adaptability of human resources to deal with change. It is important to understand how effectively individual farmers respond to new demands arising from the uncertainty, complexity, and rapid changes in their work environments, which are often associated with unclear challenges. Measuring the level of digital competence, online participation, and adaptability of millennial farmers can form the basis for formulating human resource development strategies. The aim of this study is to analyze the mechanism of digital communication competence in influencing the adaptability of small-scale millennial farmers facing digital technological disruptions. Data from 345 millennial farmers were obtained from a survey conducted in Bogor Regency, Indonesia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling method was applied to test the hypothetical model. The findings showed that motivation has a positive and significant relationship with digital knowledge and skills. In addition, digital communication skills have a statistically positive and significant impact on the adaptive performance of millennial farmers, as digital skills can improve adaptive performance through their increased involvement of millennial farmers in online participation. This study contributes to the micro-analysis from the perspective of small-scale millennial farmers, providing relevant implications for policymakers in an effort to produce farmers who are adaptive to change through the development of digital communication competencies and online participation.