Pusat Pengajian Citra Universiti, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600, Malaysia.
The Institute of Islam Hadhari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600, Malaysia.
J Sci Food Agric. 2021 Oct;101(13):5457-5468. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.11194. Epub 2021 Mar 24.
Genetically modified (GM) crops have become a controversial global issue since their commercialization in 1996. However, despite technological advancements, only a few studies have investigated farmers' attitudes towards GM crops in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aims to analyse such attitudes and their determining factors. A validated questionnaire was distributed to farmers in the Cameron Highlands, Pahang (n = 176). SPSS software was used to analyse the descriptive statistics of the farmers' attitudes to GM crops, while SmartPLS software was used to determine the predictors.
Descriptive analysis shows that the farmers claimed to have a high level of self-efficacy, and perceived GM crops as possessing high benefits which translate into a highly positive attitude towards GM crops. However, at the same time, they rated GM crops as involving moderate risks and would incur moderate costs to farm, as well as acknowledging a low level of support from the government. The structural equation model (SEM) analysis demonstrates that five factors have been identified as direct predictors of attitude to GM crops: government support (ß = 0.364, P < 0.001), perceived costs (ß = -0.282, P < 0.01), perceived risks (ß = -0.227, P < 0.01), perceived benefits (ß = 0.205, P < 0.01) and perceived self-efficacy (ß = 0.199, P < 0.05).
This study contributes to the existing knowledge and provides empirical support in explaining the factors that influence farmers' decisions to adopt GM crops and have significant implications for the future development of agro-biotechnology in Malaysia and in other developing countries. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
自 1996 年商业化以来，转基因（GM）作物已成为一个备受争议的全球性问题。然而，尽管技术不断进步，仅有少数研究调查了马来西亚农民对 GM 作物的态度。因此，本研究旨在分析这些态度及其决定因素。本研究向彭亨州金马仑高原的农民发放了经过验证的问卷（n=176）。使用 SPSS 软件分析了农民对 GM 作物态度的描述性统计，而使用 SmartPLS 软件则用于确定预测因子。
描述性分析表明，农民声称具有高度的自我效能感，并且认为 GM 作物具有很高的益处，这转化为对 GM 作物的高度积极态度。然而，与此同时，他们认为 GM 作物涉及中度风险，并且种植成本会适度增加，同时也承认政府的支持力度较低。结构方程模型（SEM）分析表明，有五个因素被确定为对 GM 作物态度的直接预测因子：政府支持（ß=0.364，P<0.001）、感知成本（ß=-0.282，P<0.01）、感知风险（ß=-0.227，P<0.01）、感知效益（ß=0.205，P<0.01）和感知自我效能感（ß=0.199，P<0.05）。
本研究为现有知识做出了贡献，并提供了实证支持，解释了影响农民决定采用 GM 作物的因素，这对马来西亚和其他发展中国家未来农业生物技术的发展具有重要意义。© 2021 英国化学学会。
