Why Do They Continue to Use Pesticides? The Case of Tomato Growers in Boushehr Province in Southern Iran

N Monfared, M Yazdanpanah, K Tavakoli
2015 J. Agr. Sci. Tech   unpublished
Despite huge environmental, economical, health, and societal costs of pesticides, research has argued that farmers in developing countries will continue to use pesticides. The present study used an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which includes the additional variables of moral norm and self-identity, to predict the farmers' decisions (intentions) regarding pesticides usage in a multistage, clustered random sample of farmers (n= 150) in a face-to-face survey of students
more » ... hat was undertaken in Dyer County in Southern Iran. The reliability and validity of the instruments were examined and approved. Findings revealed that the extended model is an improvement over the standard TPB variables for predicting intention. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control and self-identity can predict 63% of variances in farmers' intentions. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that the extended TPB can be used as a conceptual framework for intervention programs aimed at decreasing pesticides spraying intention.
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