Pathways to adoption of map-based variable-rate nitrogen fertilization: A fuzzyset qualitative comparative analysis of German arable farms

Engineering notes

Key topics: autonomous driving. See the paper for implementation details and experimental results.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为端到端自动驾驶、BEV感知、3D目标检测、轨迹预测、路径规划、LiDAR感知等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Abstract Agricultural nitrogen pollution remains a critical environmental challenge. Yet despite demonstrated benefits, adoption of map-based variable-rate nitrogen fertilization (VRNF) remains low. Existing research identifies individual determinants of adoption but cannot explain how these factors combine to produce or prevent uptake. We apply fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to 24 semi-structured interviews with German arable farmers from December 2025 to January 2026, analyzing four conditions: professional capability, perceived advantage, farm scale, and site heterogeneity. The analysis identifies two pathways to high adoption orientation: a dominant advantage-driven pathway combining perceived economic and environmental benefits with sufficient farm size, and a secondary competence-driven pathway combining capability, farm size, and site heterogeneity. Analysis of non-adoption reveals that low capability combines with either weak perceived advantage or insufficient farm scale to produce non-adoption, demonstrating causal asymmetry in the adoption process. Given the selective sample, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory patterns for larger, technologically engaged farms rather than as generalizable conclusions. For this segment, promoting VRNF adoption may benefit more from strengthening the economic case than from generic training or awareness campaigns.

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