Adoption Trends of Smart Irrigation Systems among Ethiopian Coffee Farmers in the Highlands,

This study examines the adoption of smart irrigation systems among Ethiopian coffee farmers in the highlands. Data was collected through structured interviews with a sample of 150 randomly selected coffee farmers, supplemented with remote sensing data for validation. A total of 67% of surveyed farmers reported adopting at least one type of smart irrigation system within the study period. The main drivers were increased water efficiency (mean increase in yield by 25%) and reduced labour costs ($10 per hectare). The adoption rate was higher among younger farmers with better access to technology, indicating a potential for further diffusion through targeted interventions. Investment in farmer training programmes and infrastructure support can accelerate the adoption of smart irrigation systems, enhancing agricultural productivity sustainably. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.