Department of Agricultural Development, Democritus University of Thrace, Orestiada, Greece.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Jul;28(26):35278-35285. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13183-3. Epub 2021 Mar 5.
Numerous studies have examined how farmers are involved and behave in the use of pesticides, but what drives farmers' intention to diminish pesticide applications is mostly unknown. This study explored farmers' intention to minimize pesticide use, through the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and an adjusted form of the TPB, with perceived risk of loss as an additional variable to the original model. On a scale from 1 to 5, intention to reduce pesticide use had the lowest score of all variables (2.36), indicating that most farmers did not show intention to reduce pesticide use. Only 15.2% of the farmers were willing to reduce pesticide use, while 8.3% were undecided. Moreover, 58.2% of the farmers had high levels of perceived risk of loss by the reduction of pesticide use, which explained 37.3% of farmers' intention. From the three variables of the TPB, attitudes had the highest score (3.34), indicating slightly favorable attitudes toward pesticide reduction, while perceived behavior control had the lowest score (2.70), indicating poor control of pesticide reduction. Also, the three basic variables of the TPB were positively correlated (P < 0.01) with farmers' intention to reduce pesticides, while a negative correlation (P < 0.01) was noted between intention to reduce pesticides and perceived risk of loss. The three basic variables of the TPB were significant predictors of intention, capturing 54.7% of the variation in farmers' intention. Adding perceived risk of loss as a construct to the TPB improved the predictive ability of the original model. Poor control of pesticide reduction (high-perceived barriers) and high perceived risk of loss drive farmers' intention to reduce the use of pesticides. Advancing alternative crop protection methods focusing on agro-ecology and integrated pest management should be included in the work of extension services.
大量研究考察了农民在使用农药方面的参与情况和行为方式，但驱动农民减少农药使用的意图在很大程度上尚不清楚。本研究通过计划行为理论（TPB）和对 TPB 的一种调整形式，探讨了农民减少农药使用的意图，并将感知损失风险作为原始模型的附加变量。在 1 到 5 的量表中，减少农药使用的意图得分最低（2.36），表明大多数农民没有表现出减少农药使用的意图。只有 15.2%的农民愿意减少农药使用，而 8.3%的农民犹豫不决。此外，58.2%的农民认为减少农药使用会带来高感知损失风险，这解释了 37.3%的农民的意图。在 TPB 的三个变量中，态度得分最高（3.34），表明农民对减少农药持略微有利的态度，而感知行为控制得分最低（2.70），表明农民对减少农药的控制能力较差。此外，TPB 的三个基本变量与农民减少农药的意图呈正相关（P<0.01），而减少农药的意图与感知损失风险呈负相关（P<0.01）。TPB 的三个基本变量是农民意图的显著预测指标，可解释农民意图变化的 54.7%。将感知损失风险作为一种结构添加到 TPB 中提高了原始模型的预测能力。减少农药使用的控制能力差（高感知障碍）和高感知损失风险驱动了农民减少农药使用的意图。推广以农业生态和病虫害综合治理为重点的替代作物保护方法，应纳入推广服务的工作中。
