European Journal of Sustainable Agroecosystems

Agricultural technology is widely promoted to improve farm productivity and rural livelihoods. However, awareness does not necessarily lead to adoption, particularly among smallholder farmers. This paper examines the awareness and selective adoption of agricultural technology among smallholder farmers in Khanapur Taluk, Belagavi district, Karnataka State, India. It applies Rogers’ diffusion of innovations, Bourdieu’s forms of capital and the Farmer First perspective to explain how information, inequality, social networks and farmers’ practical knowledge shape technological choices. The study draws on official statistics, published research, institutional reports and documented local cases relating to paddy cultivation, sweet potato production, community seed conservation, agricultural extension and collective organisations. The findings show that farmers adopt technology selectively rather than uniformly. They readily accept practices that are affordable, familiar and compatible with existing farming systems, but remain cautious about methods that require greater investment, specialised knowledge, labour coordination or control over water. Community seed conservation further shows that farmers are not merely recipients of externally introduced technology; they are also producers and custodians of agricultural knowledge. The study concludes that awareness and adoption are socially embedded processes shaped by landholding, economic and cultural capital, labour availability, gender relations, institutional access, trust and ecological suitability.