IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v13y2024i3p334-d1352076.html

Exploring the Factors Affecting Farmers’ Willingness to Cultivate Eco-Agriculture in the Qilian Mountain National Park Based on an Extended TPB Model

Author

Listed:
  • Mengtian Zhang

    (School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
    School of Accounting, Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Huiling Wang

    (School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

Abstract

Despite many governments having actively promoted the importance of developing ecological agriculture, the participation rate of farmers remains relatively low. Therefore, exploring the factors that influence farmers to participate in agroecological cultivation is important. Here, our aim was to identify the intention to participate in eco-agriculture through an extended theory of the planned behavior model. We collected 409 samples using a systematic probability proportional sampling method in Tianzhu County, located in the Gansu section of the Qilian Mountain National Park, China. The results validated that farmers’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms positively influenced their intention to participate in agroecology. The extended model introduces ecological value variables; if perceived behavioral control influences willingness to participate through the mediating variable of attitude, ecological values moderate the mediating role of attitude. Agroecological development in national parks should be promoted by strengthening agroecological communication and increasing environmental awareness among farmers. Our study expands the theoretical model of planned behavior, which can help policymakers better understand the factors that influence farmers’ participation in agroecological farming. It can also serve as a reference for the ecological development of agriculture in other protected areas.

Suggested Citation

  • Mengtian Zhang & Huiling Wang, 2024. "Exploring the Factors Affecting Farmers’ Willingness to Cultivate Eco-Agriculture in the Qilian Mountain National Park Based on an Extended TPB Model," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:334-:d:1352076
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/334/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/3/334/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jian Cao & Hongliang Qiu & Alastair M. Morrison & Wei Wei, 2022. "The Role of Social Capital in Predicting Tourists’ Waste Sorting Intentions in Rural Destinations: Extending the Theory of Planned Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-20, October.
    2. Childers, Terry L & Rao, Akshay R, 1992. "The Influence of Familial and Peer-Based Reference Groups on Consumer Decisions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 19(2), pages 198-211, September.
    3. Ritsuko Ozaki, 2011. "Adopting sustainable innovation: what makes consumers sign up to green electricity?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 1-17, January.
    4. Farrow, Katherine & Grolleau, Gilles & Ibanez, Lisette, 2017. "Social Norms and Pro-environmental Behavior: A Review of the Evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 1-13.
    5. Xuemei Fu, 2021. "A novel perspective to enhance the role of TPB in predicting green travel: the moderation of affective-cognitive congruence of attitudes," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 3013-3035, December.
    6. Papaporn Chaihanchanchai & Saravudh Anantachart, 2023. "Encouraging green product purchase: Green value and environmental knowledge as moderators of attitude and behavior relationship," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 289-303, January.
    7. Lin Meng & Wentao Si, 2022. "Pro-Environmental Behavior: Examining the Role of Ecological Value Cognition, Environmental Attitude, and Place Attachment among Rural Farmers in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(24), pages 1-24, December.
    8. Shilei Cui & Yajuan Li & Xiaoqiang Jiao & Dong Zhang, 2022. "Hierarchical Linkage between the Basic Characteristics of Smallholders and Technology Awareness Determines Small-Holders’ Willingness to Adopt Green Production Technology," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-17, August.
    9. Verena Seufert & Navin Ramankutty & Jonathan A. Foley, 2012. "Comparing the yields of organic and conventional agriculture," Nature, Nature, vol. 485(7397), pages 229-232, May.
    10. Lalani, Baqir & Dorward, Peter & Holloway, Garth & Wauters, Erwin, 2016. "Smallholder farmers' motivations for using Conservation Agriculture and the roles of yield, labour and soil fertility in decision making," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 80-90.
    11. Hunecke, Claudia & Engler, Alejandra & Jara-Rojas, Roberto & Poortvliet, P. Marijn, 2017. "Understanding the role of social capital in adoption decisions: An application to irrigation technology," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 221-231.
    12. Goh, Edmund & Ritchie, Brent & Wang, Jie, 2017. "Non-compliance in national parks: An extension of the theory of planned behaviour model with pro-environmental values," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 123-127.
    13. Priyadarshini, Priya & Abhilash, Purushothaman Chirakkuzhyil, 2020. "Policy recommendations for enabling transition towards sustainable agriculture in India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    14. Fred D. Davis & Richard P. Bagozzi & Paul R. Warshaw, 1989. "User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 35(8), pages 982-1003, August.
    15. Jui-Hsiung Chuang & Jiun-Hao Wang & Yu-Chang Liou, 2020. "Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Adoption of Smart Agriculture Technology in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-8, October.
    16. Gang Cui & Zhicheng Liu, 2022. "The Impact of Environmental Regulations and Social Norms on Farmers’ Chemical Fertilizer Reduction Behaviors: An Investigation of Citrus Farmers in Southern China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-19, July.
    17. Elahi, Ehsan & Khalid, Zainab & Zhang, Zhixin, 2022. "Understanding farmers’ intention and willingness to install renewable energy technology: A solution to reduce the environmental emissions of agriculture," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    18. Heesup Han & Amr Al-Ansi & Bee-Lia Chua & Beenish Tariq & Aleksandar Radic & Su-hyun Park, 2020. "The Post-Coronavirus World in the International Tourism Industry: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior to Safer Destination Choices in the Case of US Outbound Tourism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-15, September.
    19. Artur Granstedt & Olof Thomsson, 2022. "Sustainable Agriculture and Self-Sufficiency in Sweden—Calculation of Climate Impact and Acreage Need Based on Ecological Recycling Agriculture Farms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-23, May.
    20. James E. M. Watson & Nigel Dudley & Daniel B. Segan & Marc Hockings, 2014. "The performance and potential of protected areas," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7525), pages 67-73, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yanmei Yuan & Le Sun & Zongyun She & Hao Niu & Shengwei Chen, 2025. "Farmers’ Willingness to Adopt Low-Carbon Technologies: Exploring Key Determinants Using an Integrated Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Theory Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Moumouni Sidibé & Afio Zannou & Idelphonse O. Saliou & Issa Sacko & Augustin K. N. Aoudji & Achille Ephrem Assogbadjo & Harouna Coulibaly & Bourema Koné, 2024. "Determining Factors Affecting Agroecological Practices’ Acceptance and Use in Mali, West Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-29, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Xuezhen Xu & Fang Wang & Tao Xu & Sufyan Ullah Khan, 2023. "How Does Capital Endowment Impact Farmers’ Green Production Behavior? Perspectives on Ecological Cognition and Environmental Regulation," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-27, August.
    2. Haoyuan Liu & Zhe Chen & Suyue Wen & Jizhou Zhang & Xianli Xia, 2025. "Impact of Digital Literacy on Farmers’ Adoption Behaviors of Green Production Technologies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-23, January.
    3. Wei Zheng & Hongliang Qiu & Alastair M. Morrison, 2023. "Applying a Combination of SEM and fsQCA to Predict Tourist Resource-Saving Behavioral Intentions in Rural Tourism: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-23, January.
    4. Riffat Ara Zannat Tama & Md Mahmudul Hoque & Ying Liu & Mohammad Jahangir Alam & Mark Yu, 2023. "An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Zhe Liu & Zhenhong Qi & Qingsong Tian & John Stephen Clark & Zeyu Zhang, 2024. "The Impact of Digital Finance on Farmers’ Adoption of Eco-Agricultural Technology: Evidence from Rice-Crayfish Co-Cultivation Technology in China," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-20, April.
    6. Savari, Moslem & Ghezi, Mohammadamin & Molavi, Homa, 2025. "Social capital and behavioral response to water scarcity: Sustainable agriculture policies pathways for adopting dry direct-seeded rice," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    7. Michalscheck, M. & Groot, J.C.J. & Kotu, B. & Hoeschle-Zeledon, I. & Kuivanen, K. & Descheemaeker, K. & Tittonell, P., 2018. "Model results versus farmer realities. Operationalizing diversity within and among smallholder farm systems for a nuanced impact assessment of technology packages," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 164-178.
    8. Lasarov, Wassili & Mai, Robert & Hoffmann, Stefan, 2022. "The backfire effect of sustainable social cues. New evidence on social moral licensing," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    9. Adams, Peter & Farrell, Mark & Dalgarno, Barney & Oczkowski, Edward, 2017. "Household Adoption of Technology: The Case of High-Speed Broadband Adoption in Australia," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 37-47.
    10. Veronika Hannus & Johannes Sauer, 2021. "Understanding Farmers’ Intention to Use a Sustainability Standard: The Role of Economic Rewards, Knowledge, and Ease of Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-21, September.
    11. Daxini, Amar & Ryan, Mary & O’Donoghue, Cathal & Barnes, Andrew P., 2019. "Understanding farmers’ intentions to follow a nutrient management plan using the theory of planned behaviour," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 428-437.
    12. Cem Keskin & M. Pınar Mengüç, 2018. "On Occupant Behavior and Innovation Studies Towards High Performance Buildings: A Transdisciplinary Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-33, October.
    13. Muhammad Ali & Choi-Meng Leong & Hii Puong Koh & Syed Ali Raza & Chin-Hong Puah, 2025. "Revolutionizing banking services with ChatGPT: an integrated framework for user adoption," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-27, December.
    14. Murat Okumah & Julia Martin-Ortega & Paula Novo & Pippa J. Chapman, 2020. "Revisiting the Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behaviour to Inform Land Management Policy: A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model Application," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-33, April.
    15. Mi, Lingyun & Zhu, Hanlin & Yang, Jie & Gan, Xiaoli & Xu, Ting & Qiao, Lijie & Liu, Qingyan, 2019. "A new perspective to promote low-carbon consumption: The influence of reference groups," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 100-108.
    16. Yingjie Sheng & Anning Ni & Lijie Liu & Linjie Gao & Yi Zhang & Yutong Zhu, 2025. "Identifying Influence Mechanisms of Low-Carbon Travel Intention Through the Integration of Built Environment and Policy Perceptions: A Case Study in Shanghai, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-30, August.
    17. Kumar Shalender & Naman Sharma, 2021. "Using extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to predict adoption intention of electric vehicles in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 665-681, January.
    18. Jiarong Shi & Zihao Jiang, 2023. "Willingness to pay a premium price for green products: does a reference group matter?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8699-8727, August.
    19. Terenzi, Marco & Ogheri, Chiara & Locatelli, Giorgio, 2025. "Understanding homeowners' behavioural determinants: A study on house retrofitting and PV adoption," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 397(C).
    20. Kulviwat, Songpol & Bruner II, Gordon C. & Al-Shuridah, Obaid, 2009. "The role of social influence on adoption of high tech innovations: The moderating effect of public/private consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 706-712, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:3:p:334-:d:1352076. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.