Farmers’ Adoption of Agricultural Nature-Based Solutions in Northeast China: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Approach

Minglong Zhang, Yanfang Huang, Yunzheng Zhang, Fengying Nie and Xiangping Jia ()
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Minglong Zhang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yanfang Huang: Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Yunzheng Zhang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Fengying Nie: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Xiangping Jia: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 9, 1-20

Abstract: The academic field has limited studies on implementing nature-based solutions (NbSs) in Chinese agriculture, especially regarding households’ and farmers’ attitudes toward the acceptance of agricultural NbS technologies. Based on this, this study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the factors behind farmers’ agricultural practices of NbS adoption in Northeast China. Accordingly, this paper constructs an extended theoretical framework of planned behavior (TPB) and empirically tests it using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on data from 298 farmers in Inner Mongolia. It was found that incorporating institutional trust (IT) into TPB improves the prediction of Chinese farmers’ intention to de-farm behavior. Unlike previous studies, this study identified two indirect pathways influencing farmers’ intention to adopt agricultural NbS technologies: from institutional trust through attitude to intention, and from institutional trust through perceived behavioral control to intention. The findings broaden the research perspective in this area, provide empirical evidence for the application of NbSs in agricultural practices in China and other developing countries, and demonstrate in practice that NbS has been promoted as an essential tool to maximize nature’s ability to provide ecosystem services and create direct economic benefits for farmers through increased yields and reduced costs.

Keywords: nature-based solutions; extended theory of planned behavior; institutional trust; north-east China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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