Incentives and barriers to adoption of decision support systems in integrated pest management among farmers and farm advisors in Europe

Abstract

The effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) could be improved by using decision support systems (DSS). To identify barriers and incentives to the adoption of DSS in IPM in Europe, we conducted a survey among farmers and farm advisors in 12 European countries. The data were analysed using state-of-the-art machine learning methods complemented by statistical analysis. The results reveal region-specific barriers to DSS adoption among both farmers and advisors. Among farmers, lack of trust in DSS and the perceived need for additional information technology training are the predominant barriers, while among advisors, limited access to information about DSS is predominant.