Millennial Farmers’ Digital Communication Experiences in Smart Agriculture: An Interpretative Exploration
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Abstract
Background: Digital development communication has become a vital focus within agricultural modernization, particularly through smart farming programs targeting young farmers. Despite increasing attention to technology adoption, little is known about how millennial farmers subjectively experience and interpret their engagement with digital agricultural platforms. Objective: This study addresses the gap by asking: How do millennial farmers make sense of their participation in digital development communication within smart agriculture programs? Methods: Using an interpretative phenomenological approach, the study explores the lived experiences of ten young farmers to uncover how they construct meaning around digital interaction. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), which identified four central themes: digital identity formation, informational confusion, peer-based collective learning, and digital exclusion. Results: The findings reveal that digital tools serve not only functional roles but also as spaces for identity, emotion, and social connection, where farmers engage with development messages through interpretative and relational processes. These experiences highlight a mix of emotional responses—including feelings of empowerment, frustration, and distrust—reflecting the complex nature of digital communication, especially in resource-constrained rural settings. Conclusion: The study deepens understanding of communication as a lived phenomenon rather than a purely technical process and emphasizes the need for culturally sensitive and experience-based communication strategies in development programs. These insights provide a foundation for future studies to examine digital engagement as a socially embedded experience, with potential to guide more inclusive and reflective communication design in agricultural innovation.
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