Ninsiim, RachealMshenga, PatienceOkello, Dickson2025-06-182025-06-182025-06-14Ninsiim, R.,Mshenga, P.,Okello, D.(2025). Influence of social norms on blockchain technology adoption : a structural equation modelling approach among smallholder barley farmers in Uganda.https://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00254-zhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s44279-025-00254-zhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12504/24728 p.Innovative agricultural technologies such as blockchain (BCT) offer transformative potential for improving crop value chains, yet their adoption remains low. While prior research has focused on infrastructure, technological, and economic barriers to adoption, social factors, critical in early adoption phases within cohesive rural communities, are often overlooked. Social norms influence technology adoption by shaping individuals’ perceptions of what is acceptable or expected behaviour within their community, often driving conformity to collective attitudes and practices. This study employs a social norm analysis (SNA) approach to examine how social norms influence BCT initial adoption intentions among barley smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda. Data were collected from 245 farmers using semi-structured questionnaires and analyzed with Smart PLS through structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that social norm [subjective norms (B = 0.185, p = 0.005), injunctive norms (B = 0.166, p = 0.003), normative reference groups (B = 0.125, p = 0.021), and behavioural sanctions (B = 0.390, p = 0.000)] positively shaped farmers’ attitudes (B = 0.652, p = 0.002), enhancing their intentions to adopt BCT. The study recommends that stakeholders, including the government and extension officers from barley buying companies, leverage social norms alongside non-normative factors to drive BCT adoption in rural crop value chains. These insights enrich the understanding of sociocultural dynamics influencing the initial adoption of complex technologies like blockchain.enBlockchain technology, Social norms, Rural communities, Barley value chain, Behavioural intention, Smallholder farmersEastern UgandaThesis