An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh

Despite being widely advocated as a climate-smart farming system, the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) among Bangladeshi farmers has remained surprisingly low. Evidence indicates that farmers’ behavior regarding the adoption and continuation of CA is affected by their socioeconomic and psyc...

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Main Authors: Riffat Ara Zannat Tama, Md Mahmudul Hoque, Ying Liu, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Mark Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2023-02-01
Series:Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/2/503
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author Riffat Ara Zannat Tama
Md Mahmudul Hoque
Ying Liu
Mohammad Jahangir Alam
Mark Yu
author_facet Riffat Ara Zannat Tama
Md Mahmudul Hoque
Ying Liu
Mohammad Jahangir Alam
Mark Yu
author_sort Riffat Ara Zannat Tama
collection DOAJ
description Despite being widely advocated as a climate-smart farming system, the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) among Bangladeshi farmers has remained surprisingly low. Evidence indicates that farmers’ behavior regarding the adoption and continuation of CA is affected by their socioeconomic and psychological factors. This study combined the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theories to examine the socio-psychological determinants of Bangladeshi farmers’ behavior regarding the adoption of CA. The proposed model included both reflective and formative measurements. Based on data collected from 201 CA farmers, this research used a variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to test the model. The analysis showed that the components of this integrated model explained more variance (Intention: 48.9%; Attitude: 59.2%) than the original TAM framework (Intention: 45.8%; Attitude: 54.5%). Farmers’ attitudes toward the continuation of CA were most influenced by the Relative Advantage (RA) of CA (<i>β</i> = 0.337). The low level of Complexity (<i>β</i> = 0.225) and Compatibility (<i>β</i> = 0.273) of CA had a significant positive effect on attitude. In a campaign to encourage farmers to act more sustainably, interventions should emphasize CA’s long-term benefits, such as its effects on soil, yield, and the environment.
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spelling doaj.art-3e1e30a774ee4273957afe987d0c65a12023-11-16T18:32:10ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722023-02-0113250310.3390/agriculture13020503An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in BangladeshRiffat Ara Zannat Tama0Md Mahmudul Hoque1Ying Liu2Mohammad Jahangir Alam3Mark Yu4Department of Agricultural Economics, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensing 2202, BangladeshMinistry of Public Administration, Dhaka 1000, BangladeshCollege of Economics and Management, North China University of Technology, Beijing 100144, ChinaDepartment of Agribusiness and Marketing, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensing 2202, BangladeshDivision of Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Science, Tarleton State University, P.O. Box T-0040, Stephenville, TX 76402, USADespite being widely advocated as a climate-smart farming system, the adoption of conservation agriculture (CA) among Bangladeshi farmers has remained surprisingly low. Evidence indicates that farmers’ behavior regarding the adoption and continuation of CA is affected by their socioeconomic and psychological factors. This study combined the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theories to examine the socio-psychological determinants of Bangladeshi farmers’ behavior regarding the adoption of CA. The proposed model included both reflective and formative measurements. Based on data collected from 201 CA farmers, this research used a variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach to test the model. The analysis showed that the components of this integrated model explained more variance (Intention: 48.9%; Attitude: 59.2%) than the original TAM framework (Intention: 45.8%; Attitude: 54.5%). Farmers’ attitudes toward the continuation of CA were most influenced by the Relative Advantage (RA) of CA (<i>β</i> = 0.337). The low level of Complexity (<i>β</i> = 0.225) and Compatibility (<i>β</i> = 0.273) of CA had a significant positive effect on attitude. In a campaign to encourage farmers to act more sustainably, interventions should emphasize CA’s long-term benefits, such as its effects on soil, yield, and the environment.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/2/503conservation agricultureattitudeintentionbehavioral sustainabilityBangladesh
spellingShingle Riffat Ara Zannat Tama
Md Mahmudul Hoque
Ying Liu
Mohammad Jahangir Alam
Mark Yu
An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
Agriculture
conservation agriculture
attitude
intention
behavioral sustainability
Bangladesh
title An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
title_full An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
title_fullStr An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
title_short An Application of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to Examining Farmers’ Behavioral Attitude and Intention towards Conservation Agriculture in Bangladesh
title_sort application of partial least squares structural equation modeling pls sem to examining farmers behavioral attitude and intention towards conservation agriculture in bangladesh
topic conservation agriculture
attitude
intention
behavioral sustainability
Bangladesh
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/2/503
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