Farmers’ Willingness to Adopt Maize-Soybean Rotation Based on the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior: Evidence from Northeast China

Yunzheng Zhang, Zainab Oyetunde-Usman, Simon Willcock, Minglong Zhang, Ning Jiang, Luran Zhang, Li Zhang, Yu Su, Zongyi Huo, Cailong Xu, Yuquan Chen, Qingfeng Meng and Xiangping Jia ()
Additional contact information
Yunzheng Zhang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Zainab Oyetunde-Usman: Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden AL5 2JQ, UK
Simon Willcock: Net Zero and Resilient Farming, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke EX20 2SB, UK
Minglong Zhang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Ning Jiang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Luran Zhang: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Li Zhang: School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100081, China
Yu Su: School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100081, China
Zongyi Huo: School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100081, China
Cailong Xu: Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yuquan Chen: College of Economic and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100081, China
Qingfeng Meng: College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100081, China
Xiangping Jia: Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-23

Abstract: Context: For decades, maize monoculture practices dominated Northeast China, causing significant damage to the local soil and ecological environment. Crop rotation has, in recent years, been promoted as an environmentally friendly and sustainable technology in China. Despite its numerous benefits for the environment and crop productivity, farmers’ willingness to adopt crop rotation remains low. Objective: This study aims to investigate the social–psychological factors influencing farmers’ intentions to adopt maize–soybean rotation, with the goal of informing strategies for promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Methods: Based on a farm-level survey of 298 rural households in Northeast China, this study integrates value orientation into the Theory of Planned Behavior and employs structural equation modeling to investigate the social–psychological factors that affect farmers’ willingness to adopt soybean-based rotation. Results and Conclusions: The findings confirm the applicability of the extended Theory of Planned Behavior in explaining farmers’ decision-making. Farmers’ attitudes (0.384) and perceived behavioral control (0.323) had significant positive effects on adoption intentions, whereas subjective norms (0.018) were not significant. More favorable attitudes and greater perceived behavioral control, reflecting higher risk tolerance and better access to external support, promoted adoption. Value orientations strongly shaped farmers’ attitudes: altruism (0.148) and biospheric values (0.180) had positive effects, while egoism (0.044) showed no significant impact. These results offer guidance for policymakers to design targeted interventions promoting sustainable crop rotation. Significance: These results can help policymakers better understand what factors influence farmers’ adoption of rotation and what targeted measures can be taken to popularize the improved agricultural system. To foster farmers’ adoption of rotation, it is important to go beyond traditional supporting policies and to leverage innovative approaches to promote value orientation on sustainable farming practices.

Keywords: crop rotation; value-based theory of planned behavior; value orientation; structural equation model (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: 2025
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