Influence of Psychological Factors on Dairy Farmers’ Intentions to Adopt Environmental Sustainability Practices in Paraná State, Brazil

Abstract

Efforts worldwide have been dedicated to developing strategies for reducing the environmental impacts arising from agricultural production. In developing countries, such as Brazil, where agricultural production stands as one of the most important economic sectors, meeting institutional and market requirements for sustainability is essential for ensuring the country’s competitiveness. This study investigated the intention of Brazilian dairy farmers to adopt environmental sustainability practices. The sample comprised 100 dairy farms in Paraná State, Brazil. The data were analyzed using structural equation models and discussed from the perspective of the Theory of Planned Behavior. The results showed that farmers’ intentions to adopt sustainability practices is not associated with socioeconomic or production characteristics. Structural equation modeling identified three constructs explaining farmers’ intentions to adopt sustainability practices, namely attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). ATT and SN had a positive and significant influence, explaining 90% (R2 = 0.90) of the farmers’ intentions toward sustainability adoption. The lack of influence of the PBC construct suggests that farmers perceive themselves as having limited ability to adopt sustainability practices, mainly attributed to a lack of knowledge and financial resources, low self-confidence, and a heavy reliance on others for the implementation of sustainability actions.