Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology (AJAST) Volume 8, Issue 4, Pages 183-193, Oct-Dec 2024 ISSN: 2456-883X 183 A Study on Adoption of IoT based Smart Agricultural Practices in Kerala Using Analytic Hierarchy Process Dr. Vijaya S. Uthaman 1* & Ms. Anjana Raj 2 1 Assistant Professor, 2 Student, 1,2 CET School of Management, College of Engineering, Trivandrum, Kerala-695016, India. Corresponding Author (Dr. Vijaya S. Uthaman) Email: vijayas@cet.ac.in * DOI: https://doi.org/10.38177/ajast.2024.8416 Copyright © 2024 Dr. Vijaya S. Uthaman & Ms. Anjana Raj. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Article Received: 15 October 2024 Article Accepted: 19 December 2024 Article Published: 24 December 2024 ░ 1. Introduction Agriculture and its allied sectors forms the primary sector in India on which more than 50% workforce depending for its livelihood, thus forming the backbone playing pivotal role in contributing to about 20% of nations‘ GDP. The rapidly increasing population, has increased the demand for food which has increased the pressure on agriculture. The impact of change in climatic conditions, poor soil quality, non-availability of healthy seeds, lack of proper monitoring, and watering system has hugely affected the performance in agricultural sector to meet the growing need of the population. The revolutionary advancement of agriculture practices to new norms viz., smart agricultural practices which uses sophisticated technologies like robots, temperature and moisture sensors, aerial imaging and GPS systems which are expected to make farming more efficient, profitable, safe and environment friendly. The application IoT powered smart agricultural practices have the capability to enhance monitoring, tracking intelligent identification and efficient management of agricultural objectives. The IoT acts as a potential tool for farmers to overcome the uncertainty of climatic change and food fluctuations. IoT in smart agricultural refers to a network in which the physical components such as plants, animals, various virtual objects, environmental elements, etc., in the agricultural system are closely inter-connected with the internet through an equipment, under certain protocols for exchange of information and to perform communication also. Its main intention is to enhance ABSTRACT Background: In a rapidly digitizing world, technological advancements such as the Internet of Things IoT, automation technologies, blockchains, etc., hold the potential to revolutionize traditional agricultural practices to smart farming choices. In agriculture, IoT represents a system where physical elements like plants, animals, virtual objects, and environmental factors are interconnected with the internet via specific protocols and equipment. However, in the state of Kerala, India, IoT adoption in agriculture remains meager when compared to any other state. Objectives: In Kerala, significant progress in this transition remains elusive, with limited practical implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies. To bridge this gap and facilitate the modernization of Kerala's agricultural practices, this study seeks to comprehensively investigate the factors that influence the adoption of IoT in the smart agricultural practices. Method: An Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) analysis was used to comprehensively investigate the multifaceted factors influencing the adoption of IoT technologies for smart agricultural practices in Kerala's agricultural sector. A total of five criteria with 33 items were used for the study. A total of 10 experts were contacted for the data collection. Result: The findings suggest that all the 5 criteria viz Data management, operational factor, social factor, economic factor and government support system has significant impact in adoption of IoT based smart agricultural practices. Conclusion: This study will offer valuable insights to inform policymakers, agricultural organizations, and technology providers, empowering them to make informed decisions and strategically plan for the seamless integration of IoT technologies into the agricultural domain. Keywords: Internet of Things; Smart agriculture; Kerala agricultural sector; Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis; Smart farming; Agricultural products; Sensors; Real-time systems; Agricultural monitoring; Agro-informatics; ICT for agriculture; Challenges; Security; Technology policies.