European beekeepers’ interest in digital monitoring technology adoption for improved beehive management

TY - JOUR

T1 - European beekeepers’ interest in digital monitoring technology adoption for improved beehive management

AU - Verbeke, Wim

AU - Diallo, Mariam Amadou

AU - van Dooremalen, Coby

AU - Schoonman, Marten

AU - Williams, James H.

AU - Van Espen, Marie

AU - D'Haese, Marijke

AU - de Graaf, Dirk C.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - This study investigates the adoption of Digital Beehive Monitoring Technology (DBMT) based on a survey with 844 beekeepers across 18 European countries, shedding light on their characteristics, current usage patterns, expected benefits, and the determinants influencing technology adoption. Notably, 79.1 % of beekeepers had yet to embrace any form of digital monitoring, while 20.9 % engaged in limited monitoring, primarily focused on hive weight. The perceived benefits of DBMT were explored, with hive management facilitation, colony health enhancement, winter loss reduction, and time-saving emerging as primary expectations. A quarter of beekeepers expressed uncertainty regarding these anticipated benefits, underscoring the need for increased awareness and education about the advantages of DBMT. Logistic regression is used to uncover key determinants influencing DBMT adoption, emphasizing the role of professionalism, regional disparities, and active participation in beekeepers’ associations. The application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) through Structural Equation Modelling reinforced the central role of beekeepers’ personal attitudes in shaping their intention to adopt DBMT, with social norms and perceived behavioural control providing complementary albeit minor influences. The findings imply that hobbyist beekeepers may be more involved in beekeeping as a nature-centric activity, whereas professional beekeepers demonstrate a greater inclination toward digitalisation. With the so-called social tipping point of 25 % for technology adoption being almost reached, this study provides a timely empirical perspective on the European beekeeping sector's evolution towards digitalisation, so-called Apiculture 4.0.

AB - This study investigates the adoption of Digital Beehive Monitoring Technology (DBMT) based on a survey with 844 beekeepers across 18 European countries, shedding light on their characteristics, current usage patterns, expected benefits, and the determinants influencing technology adoption. Notably, 79.1 % of beekeepers had yet to embrace any form of digital monitoring, while 20.9 % engaged in limited monitoring, primarily focused on hive weight. The perceived benefits of DBMT were explored, with hive management facilitation, colony health enhancement, winter loss reduction, and time-saving emerging as primary expectations. A quarter of beekeepers expressed uncertainty regarding these anticipated benefits, underscoring the need for increased awareness and education about the advantages of DBMT. Logistic regression is used to uncover key determinants influencing DBMT adoption, emphasizing the role of professionalism, regional disparities, and active participation in beekeepers’ associations. The application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) through Structural Equation Modelling reinforced the central role of beekeepers’ personal attitudes in shaping their intention to adopt DBMT, with social norms and perceived behavioural control providing complementary albeit minor influences. The findings imply that hobbyist beekeepers may be more involved in beekeeping as a nature-centric activity, whereas professional beekeepers demonstrate a greater inclination toward digitalisation. With the so-called social tipping point of 25 % for technology adoption being almost reached, this study provides a timely empirical perspective on the European beekeeping sector's evolution towards digitalisation, so-called Apiculture 4.0.

KW - Apiculture

KW - Apis mellifera

KW - Digitalisation

KW - Structural equation model

KW - Survey

KW - Technology adoption

KW - Theory of planned behaviour

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207304781&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.compag.2024.109556

DO - 10.1016/j.compag.2024.109556

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85207304781

SN - 0168-1699

VL - 227

JO - Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

JF - Computers and Electronics in Agriculture

M1 - 109556

ER -