Endogenous Drivers and External Contexts in Farmers’ Adoption of Digital Agricultural Technologies in Agricultural Heritage Sites

Digital agricultural technologies can support the living conservation and sustainable development of agricultural heritage sites, but farmers’ adoption behavior in these contexts remains underexplored. This study examines the endogenous drivers and external contextual conditions shaping such adoption. Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Perceived Value Theory, and Context Effects Theory, this study develops an “external context–endogenous driving factors–adoption intention–adoption behavior” framework. Based on 399 household surveys from the Qitai Dryland Farming System in Xinjiang, the data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis. The results show that subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, behavioral attitude, and perceived value positively affect adoption intention, with behavioral attitude having the strongest effect. Adoption intention promotes adoption behavior and fully mediates the perceived value–behavior relationship. Technical training, economic incentives, and policy regulations strengthen key internal driving paths, whereas publicity and education enhance attitude-based intention formation but may weaken perceived behavioral control when disseminated information diverges from farming realities. Adoption pathways differ across livelihood types, supporting differentiated promotion strategies. This study is among the first to apply PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis to farmers’ adoption of digital technologies in agricultural heritage sites, providing empirical evidence for integrating digital agriculture, heritage conservation, and sustainable development.