Determinants of Pro-Environmental Behavior among Young and Older Farmers in Taiwan

Wei-Ta Fang,Yong-Shen Zhan,Eric Ng

doi:10.3390/su10072186

Wei-Ta Fang, Yong-Shen Zhan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072186

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the determinants of farmers’ pro-environmental behaviors in Taiwan. A total of 526 valid questionnaires were received from a randomly stratified sample of young (below 40 years old) and older (above 40 years old) farmers located in Central Taiwan. The findings revealed that young farmers’ pro-environmental behaviors were directly affected by personal norms, and also indirectly from personal and social norms through perceived behavioral control. In contrast, older farmers’ pro-environmental behaviors were directly affected by social norms, whereas personal norms also had an indirect impact via perceived behavioral control. Results from this study could contribute towards the development of appropriate strategies for the two age groups of farmers who respond to the different determinants of their pro-environmental behaviors.

Highlights

Agriculture has traditionally focused on maximizing production yields and profitability, which has been further supported by modern technologies in farming nowadays [1]
The participants’ education attainments were as follows: junior high school and below (42.6%), senior high school (37.1%), bachelor’s degree (18.6%), and graduate school (1.7%). The proportion of those with a high school education level or above was approximately 50%, which was in line with the result of a survey of farmer households released by the Agriculture and Food Agency in 2014
Most of these farmers specialized in agricultural farming and more than 50% had been engaged in farming for more than several decades, indicating that they had extensive experience in agricultural farming

Summary

Introduction

Agriculture has traditionally focused on maximizing production yields and profitability, which has been further supported by modern technologies in farming nowadays [1]. With the increasing awareness of environmental issues and the growing number of environmental-related regulations [3], the demand for ‘greener’ and more ecologically friendly farming produce is increasingly evident [3,4] This has given rise to farmers’ dilemmas between short-term maximal profitability and the long-term need for preservation of the environment that they depend on for their living. Farmers play a critical role in contributing towards a ‘greener’ agriculture, little is known about their personal motives to engage and exhibit pro-environmental behavior This lack of understanding is supported by prior studies [5] that revealed the need to explore farmers’ attitudes towards the natural environment, which is the key aim of this study

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