Smart Irrigation Adoption Intentions in a Post-Communist Transition Economy: The Role of Social Influence, Self-Efficacy and Task–Technology Fit

Economic and technical barriers to agricultural technology adoption are widely documented, but less is known about how social and psychological factors shape farmers’ intention to adopt smart irrigation systems in post-communist transition economies. This study examines smart irrigation adoption intentions among 368 farmers in Albania, an EU-candidate country characterised by smallholder farming, land fragmentation and uneven technological diffusion. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and motivation perspectives, we analyse how social influence, self-efficacy and task-technology fit shape adoption intentions. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) shows that social influence is the strongest direct predictor of intention to use smart irrigation systems, while self-efficacy and task-technology fit also contribute to farmers’ perceptions and intentions. Perceived usefulness has a stronger role than perceived ease of use, suggesting that farmers prioritise practical benefits such as water efficiency, productivity and farm-level utility over usability alone. The findings show how social embeddedness, farmer confidence and task compatibility shape smart irrigation intentions in a post-communist agricultural context, and suggest that policy should strengthen peer learning, farmer champions and community-based diffusion mechanisms.