Why are kiwifruit farmers reluctant to adopt eco-friendly green food certification? An investigation of attitude-behavior inconsistency

Abstract

As conventional kiwifruit production began to face sustainability challenges, the adoption of the green food certification (GFC) has emerged as an eco-innovative solution to promote sustainable production practices beneficial to the environment and farming communities. However, the implementation of this sustainable alternative has stagnated. Therefore, this research investigated the factors influencing the adoption and intergenerational gaps in the adoption of the GFC based on a primary survey with 404 farmers in the major kiwifruit production belt of China. To ensure disaggregated analyses through bivariate Probit, kiwifruit farmers' adoption was divided into two stages: adoption willingness and adoption behavior. The results revealed that the common factors influencing both the willingness and adoption of GFC were farmers' participation in training, education, farm labor, perceived benefits, perceived risk, and farmers' access to information through organizational, farmer, and network channels. The factor specifically affecting the willingness was perceived cost, while age of kiwi trees affected the farmers’ adoption behavior. Furthermore, the research findings demonstrated significant intergenerational gaps in the factors affecting the willingness and behavior to adopt the GFC. Therefore, it is crucial to promote the GFC through institutional support that can organize training programs, increase awareness of the benefits of GFC, and broaden information channels across generations.