نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
گروه کشاورزی، دانشگاه پیام نور، تهران، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Applying organic production measures and methods at the orchard level requires changing the behavior of farmers. The purpose of the present study was to explain the behavioral intention of organic pistachio production at the level of 4831 pistachio workers in the central part of Ardakan county of Yazd province by using the developed theory of planned behavior and technology acceptance by adding the variable of knowledge of organic cultivation. This research is practical in terms of purpose and quantitative research in terms of research design. The sample size was determined based on Cochran's formula of 356 people and using stratified sampling method with proportional assignment, people were selected and studied. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS22 and SmartPLS2 software. The validity of the questionnaire was determined through face validity by a panel of experts as well as diagnostic validity. Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability were used to calculate the reliability of the research tool, which was obtained above 0.7. The research results showed that the subjective norm variable (β=0.265) is the only factor in the behavioral intention to use organic pistachio production methods. The highest frequency of organic production knowledge variable is good (45.5 percent), behavioral intention variable is poor (83.7 percent), perceived behavior control variables (41.3 percent), attitude (40.4 percent) and mental norm. (37.4 percent) was medium level. Based on the findings of this research, it was suggested that in order to reduce the gap between knowledge and behavioral intention, the extension unit should design organic pistachio production training courses in such a way as to facilitate the application of these types of methods and its management at the garden level to be noticed by pistachio farmers.
کلیدواژهها [English]
Extended Abstract
Objectives
The use of pesticides in agriculture in developing countries is increasing rapidly, and this is despite the fact that the effects of its use not only on the creatures and the environment, but also on humans have many negative health consequences in the short term and long term. One of the topics that includes good agricultural activities, can improve food safety and security and provide environmental benefits such as improving water and soil quality, is organic agriculture. Since the achievement of healthy and organic farming requires changing the behavior of farmers, therefore, in this study, the conceptual framework of the developed model of planned behavior, which includes the moral norm variable, as well as the technology acceptance model along with the organic production knowledge variable, is developed; in order to explain the behavior of Ardakan pistachio farmers towards healthy pistachio production, was taken into consideration.
Methods
In terms of purpose, the present research is a part of applied research, in terms of its nature, it is in the category of quantitative research, in terms of importance and the degree of control of variables, it is of the type of field research. Also, in terms of the method of data analysis, it is a type of descriptive-causal research, and from the point of view of data collection, it is part of survey research. In this research, the statistical population was the pistachio growers of Ardakan county, Yazd province (N = 4831), and the number of sample members was determined to be 356 using Cochran's formula. stratified sampling method with proportional assignment was used to select pistachio growers. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was determined through face validity by a panel of experts and diagnostic validity, and Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability were used to calculate the reliability of the research tool. The reliability of the questionnaire was carried out with a guide study and the completion of 30 questionnaires from the pistachio farmers of Aghda Aflatak village, which was part of the villages of Ardakan county, but outside the study sample. diagnostic validity coefficient from 0.49 to 0.7; Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.649 to 0.914 and composite reliability ranged from 0.797 to 0.93, which indicated acceptable coefficients for using the research model. SPSS22 and SmartPLS2 software were used for data analysis.
Results
Descriptive findings showed that the average age of the respondents was 53 years old. They had an average of 15 years of experience in the field of pistachio farming, and 30% of household income was dependent on pistachio production. In terms of the amount of cultivated area, 59.9 percent of the respondents had one [1]gauge and less land. Also, the descriptive findings showed that the highest frequency of respondents in attitude variable (40.4 percent), perceived ease of use (38.2 percent), moral norm (49.4 percent), perceived usefulness (46.3 percent), subjective norm (37.4 percent) and perceived behavior control (41.3 percent) was medium level, and in the organic production knowledge variable, the highest frequency (45.5 percent) is high level. The majority of the respondents (83.7%) considered the variable level of behavioral intention to produce organic pistachios to be low level. The inferential findings showed that the only influential component in the behavioral intention of Ardakani pistachio growers is subjective norm. The findings of this study were in line with the results of Yadavar et al (2018); Motalebani et al (2019) and Aazami et al (2018) because they also emphasized the significant, direct and positive impact of this factor on behavioral intention. The findings of the present study point to the absence of a significant relationship between attitude and behavioral intention, which was not in line with the results of studies Yadavar et al (2018); Aazami et al (2018); Safi Sis et al., (2020); Sandoghi & Raheli (2016) and Fatemi et al (2018), because both the level of attitude towards healthy production of most of the respondents is medium and low, and by examining the components Affecting the attitude, it can be said that the pistachio growers have pointed out the lack of ease of applying healthy production methods in the pistachio orchards, that this variable has not been able to create a meaningful and positive effect on the attitude. In the present study, the relationship between knowledge and behavioral intention was not significant; the findings of the research were not in line with the results of Ataei-Asad & Movahedi) 2021); Safi sis et al )2020) and Ghasemi et al )2013). Examining the variable of knowledge of healthy production in this study indicates that the level of knowledge of healthy production of most of the respondents is medium to high; which indicates the level of optimal knowledge of organic farming. Therefore, the main challenge is the lack of implementation of knowledge at the level of pistachio orchards, which is due to the understanding of pistachio farmers in the field of it comes from the ease of using healthy production methods.
Discussion
The findings of the present research clearly showed the existence of challenges and problems for preparing pistachio farmers to carry out the practices and principles of organic production in pistachio orchards. Given that behavior change is necessary for the implementation of organic production measures and methods in gardens, and also, the subjective norm had a significant effect on behavioral intention; Therefore, it is suggested that the Agricultural Jihad Department of Ardakan county, in cooperation with the extension unit, should develop appropriate motivational, educational and promotional programs in the form of mass media such as radio and television and web-based networks such as the agricultural knowledge network and other social networks so that while improving pistachio growers’ attitude towards organic pistachio production, the implementation of these types of methods will also be noticed by pistachio growers. In addition to the mentioned cases, the purpose of designing and implementing these types of programs should be to create a favorable understanding of the ease of implementing healthy production methods in gardens. In this regard, it is necessary for the extension unit to provide the necessary preparations for the easy access of farmers to experts and specialists, as well as the convenient and easy access to non-chemical substances and natural pesticides.
[1]. 1 gauge= 0.1 hectare
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