The Decision to Adopt Organic Practices in Malaysia; a Mix-method Approach

Organic agriculture is being promoted globally and is considered to have beneficial impacts on sustainable development. Aside from the importance of organic agriculture for human health and the environment, organic farming also indirectly contributes to income generation, development of new technologies and indigenous knowledge, as well as supporting rural development (Darnhofer, 2005; Scialabba, 2000). In Malaysia, people have recently become more aware of the potential advantages of organic food; however, the adoption rate among farmers is still very low and the number of certified farmers remains small. In fact, the demand from consumers for organic products continues to increase and cannot be met by local producers, hence relying on imports from other countries. In this context, this paper aims to investigate the factors that influence the farmer’s decision to adopt organic farming practices. This study was carried out in all four regions of Peninsular Malaysia (Northern, Central, Southern, and East Coast) which also represent the four highest number of organic farmers that have been listed by the Department of Agriculture (DoA) Malaysia. Logistic regression analysis was estimated to ascertain the factors. The paper intends to explain the decision to adopt or not adopt organic farming with respect to a variety of socio-economic, social and attitudinal factors. The analysis was done using both qualitative and quantitative methods, towards a more comprehensive understanding of the overall situation of organic farming practices in Malaysia. The results indicate that environmental attitudes is the most influential factor, followed by information sharing attitudes, as well as land ownership. These observations can contribute to national policy development in the context of future sustainable development.