Understanding farmers’ uptake of organic farming: An application of the theory of planned behaviour

Whilst the adoption of agricultural techniques has received considerable attention in the literature, the ability and willingness of potential adopters to change their current farming system is often overlooked. This paper is concerned with the intention of conventional farmers to convert to organic farming by using the social-psychology theory of planned behaviour. Drivers and barriers of conversion to organic farming are identified by applying a belief based concept, which is confirmed using principal component analysis. In addition, accounting for heterogeneity regarding farmers‟ environmental attitudes masks considerable differences, notably at intention, attitudes and control perceptions. Overall, results reveal that conversion is indeed affected by attitudes of the farmer, perceived social pressure and ability to convert.