Design and validation of a measurement scale for digital transformation capabilities in agricultural settings

Digital transformation is essential for strengthening agri-food systems in emerging economies. However, there is a lack of validated tools to assess both the capabilities and levels of digital maturity in agricultural production units. This research validates an instrument to measure Digital Transformation (DT) capabilities and levels of digital maturity in agricultural production units (APU) in an emerging economy. The instrument encompasses six dimensions: sensing, seizing and transforming capabilities, along with the stages of digital maturity, digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation. The validation process was developed in five stages, including theoretical foundation, item development, expert review, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, applied to a sample of 68 potato farmers from south-central Chile. The final instrument consists of 32 items with promising psychometric properties; reliability and validity indicators met recommended thresholds across most dimensions, with a small number of exceptions discussed in the study. The results reveal that farmers widely recognize the value of digital technology and demonstrate a willingness to invest, despite being in early stages of digitalization, with widespread use of basic tools such as smartphones and messaging applications, but with limited adoption of more advanced technologies such as precision agriculture. This gap between perceived value and actual implementation highlights the role of structural barriers in rural contexts. This instrument offers researchers and policymakers a promising, albeit preliminary, tool to assess dynamic capabilities and digital maturity at the individual farmer level, representing an initial step toward diagnostic tools for digital transformation processes in this context.