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.

Keywords: Agricultural sciences; Character strengths; Drip irrigation; Environmental science; Positive psychology; Senegal; Small scale farming; Sustainable technology adoption.

© 2020 The Authors.