Adoption of smart urban farming to enhance social and economic well-being of elderly: a qualitative content analysis

Urban farming has progressively gained attention as it promotes innovation and contributes to the modernisation of the agricultural sector. The inclusion of smart technologies helps to accomplish greater efficiency and sustainability in urban farming. Nevertheless, the knowledge of the relationship between population ageing and urban change and the demand to adopt urban farming with the inclusion of technologies from the perspectives of the elderly is still under-explored. This study aimed to investigate the role of social entrepreneurship and the adoption factors in accepting smart urban farming that led to the social and economic well-being of the elderly. The study uses the framework method, which is an excellent tool for qualitative content analysis. An interview was conducted to gather feedback from the elderly through the purposive sampling technique. This study employed the diffusion of innovation theory and the theory of planned behaviour to investigate the adoption behaviour of smart urban farming among the elderly. According to the findings, having a positive attitude and a positive social influence on urban farming help to increase the adoption of smart urban farming. It is also discovered that using technology in farming could help them survive in farming. Most importantly, the findings revealed that effective social entrepreneurship involvement provided them with information and technical advice that influenced smart urban farming adoption. Consequently, the adoption of smart urban farming enhances the elderly well-being. The ease of use of farming technology is the most important factor in the adoption of smart urban farming. Furthermore, the adoption of smart urban farming is influenced by both attitude and subjective norms. Social entrepreneurs could play a role in enhancing elderly knowledge and understanding of smart urban farming.