Intention of tea small holder farmers to engage in organic tea farming in Matara district.

Abstract

This research addresses the prevalent lack of comprehension among contemporary farmers regarding organic farming and its associated advantages. The investigation aims to elucidate the decision-making processes influencing farmers' choices in favor or against embracing organic farming, identifying both drivers and deterrents that shape these decisions. The theoretical framework employed for this study is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which elucidates the interconnectedness of social and interpersonal factors impacting intentions. The research integrates variables, including perceived usefulness of organic farming and personal characteristics of farmers (such as age, income, family size, education, and tea farming experience) into the conceptual framework to explore their influence on intention. This descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study involved a sample size of 59 participants selected through a list-based sampling approach. An interview schedule was devised to gather data from the selected farmers. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to discern relationships among variables, and Pearson correlation coefficients as well as Spearman correlation were computed to evaluate correlations between variables. The findings reveal that participants in the sample group scored significantly lower than the average (p < 0.05) in both attitude and intention towards organic tea cultivation. Additionally, all variables within the conceptual framework exhibited significant correlations (p < 0.05). Approximately 20.87% of the variance in intention toward organic tea cultivation is explicated by the factors integrated into the regression model. Notably, participants' intention diminishes by 0.404 for each one Likert scale score decrease in perceived behavioral control. This study provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics shaping farmers' intentions regarding the adoption of organic tea cultivation practices.