Factors Affecting Consumer Attitudes towards Genetically Modified (GM) Crops (Case study: Qazvin County)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Islamic Azad University, Branch of Takestan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Agricultural Extension and Development, Razi University, University of Kermanshah, Iran

3 and PhD. Student, Agricultural Extension and Development, Razi University, University of Kermanshah, Iran

Abstract

Nowadays Agricultural productive systems With the use of modern technology to produce transgenic crops have attempt to supply the additional needs of food in the word, but despite of the importance of this crops in improvement of food security and access to sustainable development, their reception is still disputed. In this way, the main purpose of this study was investigating the factors affecting consumer attitude towards GM crops in Qazvin County. The statistical population of this study consists of all consumers of GM food crops in Qazvin County that 239 person were selected by available sample method for the study. The main instrument of this study was questionnaire that it’s validity confirmed by panel of experts and its reliability confirmed by calculating of Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.92).Collected data were analyzed by SPSSWin21 and LISREL8.80 software. The measurement model of the attitude toward GM food crops, were confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis. The results showed that most respondents' attitudes towards GM food crops were in the neutral range and people were handled with GM crops like the other products. The result of mean comparison indicated that there is significant difference between respondents' attitudes towards GM food crops base on research variable such as sex, marital status, employment status and residence. Moreover, the result of stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that " buying Organic food", "trust in institutions", "knowledge about GM crops", "reading food labels", "annual income" and "age" are variables that can explain 84.6 % of the variance of dependent variable (attitudes towards GM food crops).The findings of this study will have application for policymakers to promote the development of GM food crops in the country.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research
Volume 46, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
October 2015
Pages 427-438

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