Analyzing Barriers to the Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) by Farmers: An Application of UTAUT and Decomposed Fuzzy Approach

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 PhD of Production and Operations Management, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

2 PhD Candidate of Production and Operations Management, Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

3 Assistant Prof., Department of Industrial Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.

10.22059/imj.2026.414885.1008319

Abstract

Objective: Due to climate change, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is one response to the impacts of climate change, which affect agriculture especially in developing countries. As in other sustainability transitions, technological innovation plays a vital role in implementing CSA. However, technological innovation in developing countries is progressing slowly. Farmers play a fundamental role in the adoption of CSA, but barriers reduce their willingness to implement it. Due to its geographical location, Iran also needs to implement CSA in its key agricultural regions, such as Mazandaran. This study aims to identify the barriers to CSA adoption among farmers in Mazandaran and assess their importance.
Methodology: To achieve this, the barriers to CSA adoption by farmers were identified through a literature review. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used to categorize the barriers. Then, the decomposed fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (DF-AHP) method was applied to calculate the weights of the identified barriers.    
Results: The study found that the most important barriers to CSA adoption by farmers in Mazandaran are “immaturity of some technologies and lack of an implementation guideline,” “Lack of sufficient skills among farmers,” and “High implementation costs and economic risk”.
Conclusion: Classifying the barriers to CSA adoption by farmers within the UTAUT model can clarify how they influence an individual's behavioral intention. In this way, it facilitates the development of strategies and the implementation of corrective actions. The study's results can be applied to regions similar to Mazandaran in terms of climatic, economic, and social conditions.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Industrial Management Journal
Volume 18, Issue 3
2026
Pages 285-320

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