Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Digital and Automation Technology Attributes among Layer Chicken Farmers: A Discrete Choice Experiment Aiman Shiddiqin (a), Jaisy Aghniarahim Putritamara (b*)
Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, Universitas Brawijaya
Abstract
Digital and automation technologies offer opportunities to improve resource efficiency and operational management in layer chicken farming. However, technology adoption depends not only on technological performance but also on how farmers evaluate potential benefits relative to the investment required for adoption. This study examines preferences for digital and automation technology attributes among layer chicken farmers and estimates their willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in those attributes in Kademangan District, Blitar Regency, East Java, Indonesia. Data were collected in August 2026 using a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE). The study involved 170 layer chicken farmers, each of whom evaluated eight choice sets consisting of two hypothetical technology alternatives and an opt-out option representing non-adoption. Five attributes were evaluated: labor-hour savings, energy savings, water savings, increased sales, and adoption cost. Non-cost attributes were specified at multiple improvement levels, while adoption cost ranged from IDR 5 million to IDR 150 million. Choice data were structured as panel observations and analyzed using a correlated random-parameters Mixed Logit model in WTP-space to account for preference heterogeneity and directly estimate the monetary value of improvements in non-cost attributes. This analytical framework provides an empirical basis for identifying technology characteristics valued by layer farmers and for supporting technology developers, policymakers, and financing institutions in designing adoption strategies that better reflect farmer priorities and investment considerations.
Keywords: Layer chicken farmers - Digital technology - Automation - Discrete choice experiment - Willingness to pay - Mixed logit
