Farmers’ Willingness to Adopt Organic Fertilizers in Shaanxi Plain: Based on Health Belief Model

Abstract

China is the largest consumer of chemical fertilizer, while excessive use of chemical fertilizers has brought food production, but excessive use will lead to environmental problems such as soil fertility decline and soil pollution. Organic fertilizer is widely recommended as a sustainable fertilizer. However, the use of organic fertilizers in China remains low. To promote the use of organic fertilizer, this study collected 262 questionnaires from farmers in Shaanxi and investigated the factors affecting the use of organic fertilizer based on health belief model. Our results show that cues to action has a significant impact on farmers ' behavior, followed by perceived threat and perceived expectation. Therefore, we suggest strengthening the publicity of organic fertilizer at the rural level and making farmers aware of the harm of excessive use of chemical fertilizers, to promote the use of organic fertilizer and the sustainable development of agriculture.