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Adoption of Organic Potato Production in Ardabil Plain, Iran: an Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour

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Abstract

Chemical agricultural inputs (e.g. pesticides and fertilizers) pollute the environment and undermine food safety. In fact, agriculture is in a direct relationship with the environment and farmers’ behaviours have extensive positive or negative impacts on it. Therefore, enhancing farmers’ behaviours to go towards organic farming methods represents a promising approach. The present study aimed to explore the effective factors underpinning the willingness of potato farmers in the Ardabil Plain to adopt organic farming using an extended model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The statistical population was composed of all potato farmers of the Ardabil Plain, of which a sample of 200 farmers was selected by Cochran’s method (n = 200). Data collection instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability by Cronbach alpha. Data were subjected to statistical analyses in the SPSS23 and LISREL8.80 software packages. The results of structural equations showed that the variables of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, moral norms, and environmental concerns accounted for 72% of the variance of potato farmers’ intention to engage in organic farming. Also, environmental concerns captured 43% of this variance.

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Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge kind advice and help of Dr. Abolfazl Bezaatpour, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research and head of the Research Committee of the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili.

Funding

This research was funded by the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili (Iran) under the grant number 97/6/21556, dated January 19, 2019.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Bahram Imani

  2. Department of Agricultural Management, Rasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran

    Mohammad S. Allahyari

  3. North-West University, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Mohammad S. Allahyari

  4. Department of Agricultural Management, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Abumohammad Bondori & Nayer Emami

  5. Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Department; International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM-Bari), Via Ceglie 9, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy

    Hamid El Bilali

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  1. Bahram Imani
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Imani, B., Allahyari, M.S., Bondori, A. et al. Adoption of Organic Potato Production in Ardabil Plain, Iran: an Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour. Potato Res. 64, 177–195 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-020-09471-z

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