The Onion Plant is Indonesia’s national strategic commodity, as stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Indonesia Number 46 of 2019 concerning the development of strategic horticultural commodities.
Onions also serve as a reference for inflation. In July 2022, onions, Chilli and cayenne pepper triggered an inflation rate of 0.64%.Strategic commodities, such as onions, should receive special attention in technology development to increase production to support the Indonesian economy.
Technological adaptation holds promise in increasing resource use and agricultural profitability.Various available agricultural technologies can strengthen managerial decision-making abilities, thus enabling agricultural operations to use resources more efficiently and reduce risks.Farmers’ access to agricultural technology has long been recognized as necessary to improve their livelihoods.Therefore, access to agricultural technology is necessary for long-term agricultural development.In Indonesia, the level of technology adoption for farmers is significant for agricultural and economic growth, which can be seen from empirical evidence that technology can increase farmers’ income, but farmers have not fully absorbed it. The use of technology in agriculture requires a mature mastery of the actors in the agricultural sector
(Ruzzante et al., 2021; Nagarajan et al., 2024).
However, the growth of the agricultural sector depends on the introduction of better, large-scale and environmentally friendly technologies, including new disease-resistant technologies, the use of superior seeds, modern management practices and resource conservation. Therefore, the key to agricultural growth is the adoption of agricultural technology, which still has obstacles because of the many factors that influence the adoption process
(Suman et al., 2017; Mottaleb, 2018). The existence of new agricultural technology raises risks and uncertainties about the feasibility of its application, the suitability of scale and suitability with the prevailing environment and most notably, with the perceptions and expectations of farmers. Therefore, assessing farmers’ perceptions of new agricultural technologies is essential to ensure technology adoption and improvement, sustainable growth and development of the agricultural sector
(Beula et al., 2016; Mottaleb, 2018;
Patra and Bharti, 2024).
In most cases, technological change, technology adoption and agricultural commercialization are similar.The food security of communities and countries depends on the productivity of their agricultural systems. Technological changes in agriculture have long been accepted as a necessary condition for accelerating the growth of food production
(Sharma et al., 2022).Adopters of yield enhancement or postharvest technologies are more likely to experience higher production per unit of land and associated income benefits at the household level than non-adopters. The desired benefits of technological change, such as increased production and income from agriculture or food, are expected to positively influence household food consumption and nutritional adequacy
(Babu et al., 2022).
The relationship between the changing use of agricultural technology and efforts to increase production in order to achieve food security goals is complex.New technologies have indirect and partial effects; therefore, a focused approach is needed to unravel the complexity of the relationship.This is important for the provinces of South Sulawesi and East Java to increase the food security of onion plants. First, it can meet basic food needs for a more stable rural economy and second, as a commercial crop with local wisdom that is agro-technologically suitable for increasing sustainable production yields
(Babu et al., 2022).
The relationship of all factors of technological adaptation to the onion commodity will be analyzed more deeply using the SEM approach, which is more capable of analyzing data more comprehensively than path analysis and multiple regression
(Ratnam et al., 2024). Data analysis for path analysis and multiple regression was performed only by calculating the total score (score) between the variables examined and determining the number of examination instruments.Therefore, path analysis and multiple regression were tested only at the level of latent (unobserved) variables. At the same time, the data analysis of the SEM method can be tested in-depth and thoroughly because it is conducted for each question score of the research tool variable.Statements in the SEM analysis tool are also known as explicit (observed), constructed, or latent variable indicators (
Junaidi, 2021). This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of using AMOS in discussing technology adoption in onion cultivation.