Digital Literacy and Agricultural Transformation in South Aceh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35308/jbt.v12i1.532Keywords:
digital literacy, rice farmers, digital economy, Spearman correlation.Abstract
Agricultural digitalization has become an important strategy for improving efficiency and farmers’ welfare; however, its implementation in rural areas remains constrained, particularly by limitations in human resource capacity. This study aims to analyze the factors associated with digital literacy among rice farmers, focusing on its relationship with digital economic participation, expectations toward agricultural digitalization, and farmers’ socio-economic characteristics. The study was conducted in Kluet Utara and Kluet Selatan Sub-districts, Aceh Selatan Regency, with rice-farming households as the unit of analysis. Primary data were collected through a survey using a structured questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively. Descriptive analysis was employed to depict the socio-economic conditions and levels of farmers’ digital literacy, while the relationships among variables were examined using Spearman’s rank correlation due to the ordinal scale and non-normal data distribution. The results indicate that farmers’ digital literacy remains at a low to moderate level, accompanied by very limited digital economic participation, particularly in online marketing of agricultural products. In contrast, farmers exhibit relatively high expectations regarding the benefits of agricultural digitalization. The correlation analysis reveals that digital literacy is positively and significantly associated with digital economic participation and farmers’ expectations, while socio-economic characteristics show varying relationships. These findings indicate a gap between farmers’ attitudes and actual digital practices. Therefore, strengthening digital literacy through practical training and supportive digital market ecosystems is crucial to fostering inclusive and sustainable agricultural digital transformation.
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