ABSTRACT Purpose This research examined farmers’ adoption of Sustainable Crop Residue Management (SCRM) practices by validating the Protection Motivation theory (PMT) and Ecological Modernisation Theory (EMT) as theoretical underpinnings. This research validated the impact of factors like Coping appraisal, Social cognitive attributes, Habit, Risk perception, Supply chain practices and Health consciousness on actual adoption. The study further empirically analysed the impact of actual adoption on perceived sustainable performance. Design/Methodology/Approach A data set of 239 farmers from North Indian states was analysed to understand the perceptions of farmers. Only those farmers who were engaged in paddy and wheat cultivation were considered in this research. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to access and validate the hypothesized relationships. Findings Coping appraisal and supply chain practices emerged insignificant. Actual adoption had a significant and strong impact on perceived sustainable performance. Practical implication Based on the fact that farmers still need to adopt SCRM practices, the study provides significant pointers to the government, policymakers, and agricultural departments of North Indian states. Based on this study government needs to implement some focused policies had to be developed to boost farmers’ adoption. For example, targeted subsidies for machinery should be given to encourage farmers to adopt such practices. Theoretical Implications First, this research validates both PMT and EMT together in the context of SCRM practices. In addition, this research-validated a few other variables like Governments’ facilitative interventions, supply chain practices and perceived sustainable performance that previous studies failed to analyse, leading to a comprehensive model. Secondly, it creates a theoretical association among risk perception, social cognitive attributes, habit, government facilitative interventions, and supply chain practices. Originality/Value Due to the multitude of factors associated with paddy stubble burning, this research is an earnest effort to empirically analyse the variables influencing farmers’ decisions concerning the actual adoption of SCRM practices. This research is indeed a very initial attempt to comprehend the view-points of farmers to understand the reasons which make them go to crop residue burning despite awareness of the harmful effects of burning on human health and the environment.
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