Abstract
The adoption of the 1/2S d/2 tapping system by rubber smallholders is far behind the expectation of the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka in Moneragala District. This study has assessed the behavioral factors that influence the adoption of the 1/2S d/2 tapping system. Data were collected using stratified random sampling. A self-administrated survey was deployed among rubber smallholders (self-tappers) in Moneragala District during 2020. The conceptual model was developed based on the decomposed theory of planned behavior. Study variables were measured using validated research instruments. A two-stage model-building process was applied. The conceptualized model was tested empirically, using partial least square structural equation modeling (SMART- PLS 3.2 version). The composite six-predictor conceptual framework and structural model explained 79% of the variance in the adoption of the 1/2S d/2 tapping system by rubber smallholders. The adoption of 1/2S d/2 by rubber smallholders positively correlated with the behavioral factors, behavioral intention, and perceived behavioral control. There were positive relationships between; compatibility and attitude, relative advantage and attitude, perceived usefulness and attitude, perceived ease of use and attitude, subjective norms and behavioral intention, facilitating condition, and perceived behavioral control. These findings can help boost the behavioral intention of rubber smallholders in Moneragala District in using 1/2S d/2, especially by improving the aspects of attitude and subjective norms of tappers.
Highlights
The rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) sector is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Sri Lanka in terms of export earnings and employment generation in the plantation sector and has contributed to 0.2% of the GDP in 2020 (CBSL, 2020)
7% of the respondents had less than 5 years of experience in tapping
The study has identified nine behavioral factors contributing to the adoption of tapping systems by rubber smallholders of Moneragala District
Summary
The rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) sector is the second largest foreign exchange earner in Sri Lanka in terms of export earnings and employment generation in the plantation sector and has contributed to 0.2% of the GDP in 2020 (CBSL, 2020). Rubber is a popular crop among the smallholders who cultivate extents less than 20.2 ha in Sri Lanka. The smallholder rubber sector is considered the most dynamic segment of the rubber sector since it represents 59% of the total rubber extent of Sri Lanka and has contributed to 48% of the national rubber production in 2019 (MPI, 2019). Moneragala District (6.7563° N and 81.2519° E) is the second-largest district in Sri Lanka with an extent of 565,930 ha of which 12% is under the agricultural sector, with about 5 % of cultivable lands utilized for permanent crops (Dissanayake et al, 2016). The total extent of rubber smallholdings in Moneragala is about 5,087ha (9,415 number of holdings), and Moneragala is the fifth rubber growing district according to the land extent under rubber cultivation in Sri Lanka (MPI, 2019). SDTS is done in an angled half spiral cutting and on alternate days (RRISL, 2003)
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