Who Do We Trust? Disentangling the Roles of Institutional Trust in Sustainability and Precision Agriculture Adoption

Sustainability adoption in agriculture is often modeled as a binary decision; however, emerging evidence suggests that adoption may instead occur through multiple stages. This thesis examines heterogeneity in sustainability adoption pathways among commercial farmers by distinguishing between interest in adoption and commitment to sustained implementation. Using survey data from commercial producers, ordered and binary regression models are employed to identify economic, strategic, operational, and behavioral determinants of both stages. Results indicate that perceived economic benefits and strategic positioning are strong predictors at both stages of the adoption pathway. Policy incentives, including both government financial support and perceived consumer willingness to pay, predict initial interest but lose explanatory power at the commitment stage. In contrast, perceived financial constraints do not deter initial interest but significantly reduce the probability of transitioning from interest to commitment. Demographic characteristics such as age, education, and gender exhibit limited explanatory power, while farm size shows selective effects at the interest stage. The findings reveal an “adoption puzzle”: while many producers recognize the economic rationale for sustainability, fewer fully integrate these practices into long-term farm management systems. This divergence suggests that sustainability adoption is not a single decision but a multi-stage process shaped by differing economic incentives and structural constraints. The study contributes to the literature by reframing sustainability adoption as a dynamic pathway rather than a binary outcome and by identifying distinct determinants at different stages of engagement. Policy and industry strategies that focus solely on stimulating initial interest may overestimate durable transformation unless they also address implementation risk, uncertainty, and long-term integration incentives.