Willingness of Tea Farmers to Adopt Ecological Agriculture Techniques Based on the UTAUT Extended Model

Abstract

Ecological agricultural technology is the key method for making the transition from traditional agriculture to ecological agriculture, and is also the basic measure for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the tea industry and sustainable development. This study explores the influencing factors and mechanisms of tea farmers’ adoption of ecological agricultural technology by using the extended model of the unified theory of technology adoption and use (UTAUT) based on perceived value. The analysis results, using the partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM), show that: the positive impact of perceived value on willingness to use not only makes the explanatory power of the extended model greater than that of the original model but also expands the UTAUT model into a full mediating model, in which performance expectation has the greatest impact on behavioral intention through the implemented value. Effect expectation, social influence and factoring factors following, then the four intermediary paths have significant positive effects on behavioral intention. This study improves on the limitations of the UTAUT theoretical model through the theory of perceived value, and provides a reference for research on the same topic. At the same time, the government should provide tea farmers with enhanced subsidies, skills training and communication platforms.