Innovative technologies are expected to play a significant role in climate change mitigation and adaptation within the agriculture sector and in global food security. Clearly, however, the value of technological innovations in the agriculture sector is premised on their adoption. Therefore, understanding why farmers differ in their adoption of innovative green technologies is important. In the following paper, we review current literature and set the theoretical framework for suggesting that three important personal resources correlate with agricultural technology adoption: positive emotions, character strengths (including specific ones), and cognitive goal-oriented hope. This study constitutes an important theoretical basis for future practical recommendations for environmental policy, positive psychology, and innovation adoption that may help narrow some of the gaps in technology adoption rates. In addition to its theoretical innovation, the importance of this study lies in its practical value: we focus on variables that are influenced through policy, education, and communication. The theoretical connections between positive psychology and environmental studies emerging from this study should be developed and explored. We hope that this new perspective will motivate future research on these factors within diverse farming communities across different nations.

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Sustainable food systems are required to feed a growing world population. Smallholder farmers, who produce a significant share of the food supply in many developing countries, can play a crucial role in applying such systems. In agriculture, various innovative technologies promise to have a significant part in securing a sustainable future. Clearly, however, before new technologies can benefit their users, they must first be adopted. Why do most smallholders avoid using modern cultivation technologies? Rather than focusing on socio-economic geography-related factors and information gaps, we offer a new perspective, suggesting that personal variables, such as character strengths, prompt the adoption of sustainable technologies. We put this hypothesis to an empirical test in a large-scale field study of drip irrigation (DI) adoption in Senegal. Data were collected by face-to-face questionnaires. A binary logistic regression analysis of the data obtained from 335 different plots in Senegal, showed that a significant connection existed between two character strengths, creativity and judgment, and DI adoption. Along with its theoretical and empirical contribution, the value of this study lies in its practical implications: The research focuses on variables that are malleable and likely to be influenced by policy tools and education.