Abstract
Abstract The widespread use of mobile telephony and the internet constitutes an asset for digitalization in the agricultural sectors in Africa. Cotton being the leading export crop in Benin, this study aims to understand the determinants of the adoption of digitalization (use of digital machines, membership of a social network for information exchange, use of a mobile money account) by cotton producers in the municipality of Banikoara. In this context, a socio-economic survey was carried out with a sample of 314 producers, obtained by purposive sampling. The binary logistic regression method made it possible to identify the factors affecting the adoption of digitalization. Thus, the level of banking, the use of labor, the area of cotton sown and knowledge of agricultural information and exchange platforms had a significant impact on the use of digital machines in agriculture. Membership of a social network for information exchange between producers was influenced by the level of banking, the type of cotton grown, the strengthening of relationships with others, the risk linked to the use of digitalization and the assessment of the level of security of digitization by the producers. Finally, the level of banking, the exercise of a secondary activity and the use of labor were the significant variables in the adoption of mobile money by cotton farmers in Banikoara. However, the use of more advanced technologies such as drones and sensors was not yet a reality for these producers. This information is very useful for any project to popularize and promote these new technologies in the modernization of agriculture.