Precision Agriculture Technology Adoption Among Rice Farmers in the Lake Chad Basin, Borno State

Precision agriculture technologies, including remote sensing, soil moisture sensors, and GPS-guided application systems, offer potential yield and efficiency improvements for rice farmers in north-eastern Nigeria, yet adoption evidence from conflict-affected agricultural communities remains scarce. This study investigates precision agriculture technology adoption among rice farmers in the Lake Chad Basin agricultural communities of Borno State, North East Nigeria, where farming has been partially rehabilitated following displacement. A survey of 310 rice farmers across five local government areas was conducted, applying an extended Diffusion of Innovations framework incorporating security context variables specific to conflict-affected environments. The study measures current technology use, adoption intention, perceived relative advantage, trialability, and context-specific adoption barriers. Results indicate very low current adoption of formal precision agriculture technologies, with mobile-based weather and pest advisory services representing the most used technology type. Perceived relative advantage is a strong positive predictor of adoption intention, but security risk perceptions, land tenure uncertainty, and affordability constraints are identified as the most powerful negative moderators unique to the conflict context. The study contributes a conflict-sensitive agricultural technology adoption model and recommends that the Borno State Agricultural Development Programme integrate technology adoption subsidies into its post-conflict agricultural rehabilitation framework. Keywords: precision agriculture, technology adoption, Lake Chad Basin, Borno State, conflict-affected communities.