In my most recently accepted article, co-authored with University of Missouri Professor Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, we report actual and expected adoption of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for a rich cross section of Missouri farmers and examine the factors that shape such adoption. We also explore farmers' awareness of potential applications of UAVs in agriculture; their perceptions of technical complexities or other constraints on the use of UAVs; and their expectations for the economic and environmental benefits from UAVs. Finally, we classify farmers into few homogeneous segments that might adequately describe general population tendencies in the adoption of UAVs.
Our results show that adoption of UAVs among Missouri farmers is still at early stages. We found that the most significant driver of farmer adoption of UAVs is farmer expectations of potential economic and environmental gains from the use of UAVs. Finally, our segmentation analysis reveals the potential presence of a significant latent demand for UAVs (beyond current adoption and stated intentions).
You can find the full article below:
UAV over corn field. Photo by Laura Thompson.