Causal model of farmers’ intention to engage in sustainable agricultural practices in Nakhon Pathom province, Thailand

Abstract

Advanced agricultural technologies have negatively affected both natural resources and the environment in Thailand. Therefore, promoting sustainable agricultural practice among Thai farmers should be a major issue in Thai agricultural policy. Socio-psychological factors considerably influence any intentions within the farmer community to engage in sustainable agricultural practice. The theory of planned behavior and also norm-activation theory can both be used to explain the operation of socio-psychological factors regarding this intention to engage in sustainable agricultural practice. The present study aimed at examining the causal relationship of farmers’ intention to engage in sustainable agricultural practices using these theories as specifically applied to farmers operating agricultural household in Nakhon Pathom province of Thailand (from whom randomly selected questionnaire samples were taken). The findings revealed that the intention to engage in sustainable agricultural practices was increased by the awareness of consequences through personal or moral norm, as well as subjective norm and perceived behavioral control. Nevertheless, attitudes had a negative effected on the intention of engaging in sustainable agricultural practices. This paper recommends that raising awareness for the problem of unsustainable agricultural practices, increasing the understanding of how sustainable agricultural practice are implemented among target audiences, and encouraging sustainable farming through influential local group could lead to create farmers’ intention and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.