Analysis of farmers' intentions and behavior towards agritourism as a complementary activity to agriculture

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
I. Ranjbar 1
S. N. Mousavi 2
B. Najafi 3
1 Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran
2 Associate professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Agriculture faculty, Islamic Azad University Marvdasht, Marvdasht, Iran
3 Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Agriculture faculty, Islamic Azad University Marvdasht, Marvdasht, Iran
Abstract
Traditional farming faces significant challenges to sustainable development due to climate change, water scarcity, and environmental, social, and economic threats. Adopting complementary activities like agritourism can help address these challenges and promote sustainable village development. This study examines farmers' behavioral intentions and willingness to participate in agritourism as a supplementary activity. Data were collected through questionnaires using stratified random sampling with proportional assignment from farmers in five agriculturally diverse villages in Marvdasht County, Fars Province, Iran. The data were analyzed using the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which explained 78.8% of farmers' behavioral intentions and 61.8% of their actual behavior. The results show that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control—traditional TPB constructs—significantly influence farmers' intentions to adopt agritourism. Additionally, self-identity, social capital, environmental values, and the perception of farmer’s risks enhance the predictive power of farmers' behavioral intentions. However, perceived behavioral control did not significantly impact farmers' actual behavior, while their intentions had the strongest positive influence on agritourism adoption. These findings suggest that promoting farmers' attitudes, beliefs, and self-confidence through training and information campaigns can increase their engagement in agritourism. Policymakers should implement cultural programs, incentives, and social networks to enhance agritourism's occupational value and encourage collaboration within the agricultural sector. Furthermore, measures should ensure agritourism aligns with environmental goals and educate farmers about the risks of traditional farming practices. Such efforts can foster sustainable development and strengthen the role of agritourism as a complementary activity to traditional farming.

Keywords

Subjects

Ammirato, S., Felicetti, A. M., Raso, C., Pansera, B. A. and Violi, A. 2020. Agritourism and sustainability: What we can learn from a systematic literature review. Sustainability, 12(22): 9575.
Anwar, M. and Herayono, A. 2024. The Effect of Theory of Planned Behavior (TBP) and Creativity-Based Industry Perception on Digital Entrepreneurship: An Innovativeness as Mediator. PaperASIA., 40(3b): 96-105.
Azarm, H., Bakhshoodeh, M., Zibaei, M. and Nasrnia, F. 2022. Incorporating land use changes and pastoralists’ behavior in sustainable rangeland management: evidence from Iran. Rangeland Ecology & Management., 80: 48-60.
Bhatta, K. and Ohe, Y. 2020. A review of quantitative studies in agritourism: The implications for developing countries. Tourism and Hospitality., 1(1): 23-40.
Bhatta, K., Itagaki, I. and Ohe, Y. 2019. Determinant factors of farmers’ willingness to start agritourism in rural Nepal. Open Agriculture., 4: 431-445.
Bhatta, K., Poudel, R.P., Tanaka, T. and Ohe, Y. 2024. Profitability in rural restaurants and owners' motivation for agritourism: A case from Nepal. International Journal of Tourism Research., 26(3): 1-16.
Boguszewicz-Kreft, M., Kuczamer-Kłopotowska, S., Kozłowski, A., Ayci, A. and Abuhashesh, M. 2020. The theory of planned behavior in medical tourism: International comparison in the young consumer segment. International journal of environmental research and public health., 17(5): 1626.
Bozorgparvar, E., Yazdanpanah, M., Forouzani, M. and Khosravipour, B. 2018. Cleaner and greener livestock production: Appraising producers' perceptions regarding renewable energy in Iran. Journal of Cleaner Production., 203: 769-776.‌
Cao, X., Luo, Z., He, M., Liu, Y. and Qiu, J. 2021. Does the Self-Identity of Chinese Farmers in Rural Tourism Destinations Affect Their Land-Responsibility Behaviour Intention? The Mediating Effect of Multifunction Agriculture Perception. Agriculture., 11(7): 649.
Chen, S., Sotiriadis, M. and Shen, S. 2023. The influencing factors on service experiences in rural tourism: An integrated approach. Tourism Management Perspectives., 47: 101122.
Cheng, S., Zhang, J., Lu, S., Xu, F. and Zhang, H. 2011. Influence of tourists’ environmental tropisms on their attitudes to tourism and nature conservation in natural tourist destinations: A case study of Jiuzhaigou National Park in China. Chinese Geographical Science., 21(3): 377–384.
de Araújo, A. F., Andrés-Marques, I. and Moreno, L. L. 2024. No Planet‐B Attitudes: The Current Environmental Paradigm and Its Role on Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Tourism Destinations. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2111.v1
Dimitrovski, D., Leković, M. and Joukes, V. 2019. A bibliometric analysis of Crossref agritourism literature indexed in Web of Science. Menadžment u hotelijerstvu i turizmu., 7(2): 25-37.
Dinis, I., Simoes, O., Cruz, C. and Teodoro, A. 2019. Understanding the impact of intentions in the adoption of local development practices by rural tourism hosts in Portugal. Journal of Rural Studies., 72: 92-103.
Fars Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization. 2020. Database. (Unpublished)
Fleischer, A. and Tchetchik, A. 2005. Does rural tourism benefit from agriculture?. Tourism management., 26(4): 493-501.
Gao, L., Wang, S., Li, J., and Li, H. 2017. Application of the extended theory of planned behavior to understand individual’s energy saving behavior in workplaces. Resources, Conservation & Recycling., 127: 107-113.
Hair, J. and Alamer, A. 2022. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics., 1(3):100027.
Han, H., Hsu, L. T. J. and Sheu, C. 2010. Application of the theory of planned behavior to green hotel choice: Testing the effect of environmental friendly activities. Tourism management., 31(3): 325–334.
Han, H., Meng, B. and Kim, W. 2017. Emerging bicycle tourism and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of sustainable tourism., 25(2): 292-309.
Hu, H., Zhang, J., Wang, C., Yu, P. and Chu, G. 2019. What influences tourists' intention to participate in the Zero Litter Initiative in mountainous tourism areas: A case study of Huangshan National Park, China. Science of the Total Environment., 657: 1127-1137.
Joo, Y., Seok, H. and Nam, Y. 2020. The moderating effect of social media use on sustainable rural tourism: A theory of planned behavior model. Sustainability., 12(10): 4095.‌
Krejcie, R. V. and Morgan, D. W. 1970. Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and psychological measurement., 30(3): 607-610.
Lee, S. J. and Lina Kim, H. 2018. Roles of perceived behavioral control and self‐efficacy to volunteer tourists' intended participation via theory of planned behavior. International Journal of Tourism Research., 20(2): 182-190.
Li, Q. and Wu, M. 2020. Tourists’ pro-environmental behavior in travel destinations: Benchmarking the power of social interaction and individual attitude. Journal of Sustainable Tourism., 28(9): 1371-1389.
Rezaei, R., Seidi, M. and Karbasioun, M. 2019. Pesticide exposure reduction: Extending the theory of planned behavior to understand Iranian farmers’ intention to apply personal protective equipment. Safety Science., 120: 527-537.
Savari, M., and Gharechaee, H. 2020. Utilizing the theory of planned behavior to predict Iranian farmers’ intention for safe use of chemical fertilizers. Journal of Cleaner Production., 121512.
Savari, M. and Khaleghi, B. 2024. Factors influencing the application of forest conservation behavior among rural communities in Iran. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators., 21: 100325.
Savari, M., Damaneh, H. E., Damaneh, H. E. and Cotton, M. 2023. Integrating the norm activation model and theory of planned behaviour to investigate farmer pro-environmental behavioural intention. Scientific Reports., 13(1): 5584.
Sidali, K. L., Spitaler, A. and Schamel, G. 2019. Agritourism: A hedonic approach of quality tourism indicators in South Tyrol. Sustainability., 11(13): 3747.
Susan, L.S. and Kyunda, R.C. 2018. Food and Agricultural Tourism Theory and Best Practice; Taylor & Francis: New York, NY, USA, p. 246.
Togaymurodov, E., Roman, M. and Prus, P. 2023. Opportunities and Directions of Development of Agritourism: Evidence from Samarkand Region. Sustainability., 15(2): 981.
Van der Ploeg, J. D. 2018. From de-to repeasantization: The modernization of agriculture revisited. Journal of Rural Studies., 61: 236-243.
Waheed, A., Ahmad, W., Syed, N., Farooq, U., Khan, S. Z. and Shahzad, M. F. 2022. A path to empower consumers' lookout: analysing the role of digital strategies on consumers' intention to buy from the perspective of TBP. International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management., 13(4): 342-356.
Wang, X., Waris, I., Bhutto, M. Y., Sun, H. and Hameed, I. 2022. Green initiatives and environmental concern foster environmental sustainability: A study based on the use of reusable drink cups. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health., 19(15): 9259.
Xu, J., Pan, Y. and Li, Q. 2024. Influencing factors of health screening among retirees: An extended TPB approach. Frontiers in Public Health., 12: 1320920.
Yazdanpanah, M. and Forouzani, M. 2015. Application of the theory of planned behaviour to predict Iranian students' intention to purchase organic food. Journal of Cleaner Production., 107: 342-352.
Yazdanpanah, M., Hayati, D., Hochrainer-Stigler, S. and Zamani, G. H. 2014. Understanding farmers' intention and behavior regarding water conservation in the Middle-East and North Africa: A case study in Iran. Journal of environmental management., 135: 63-72.
Zerbini, C., Luceri, B. and Vergura, D. T. 2017. Leveraging consumer’s behavior to promote generic drugs in Italy. Health Policy., 121(4): 397-406.
Zhang, H. and Chen, Y. Q. 2020. The impact of exhibition’s servicescape on exhibitor’s perceived value, level of satisfaction, and repeat participation intention. Tour. Trib., 35: 86-98.
Zhao, Z., Xue, Y., Geng, L., Xu, Y. and Meline, N. N. 2022. The Influence of Environmental Values on Consumer Intentions to Participate in Agritourism—A Model to Extend TPB. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics., 35(3): 15.
Zheng, W., Qiu, H. and Morrison, A. M. 2023. Applying a combination of SEM and fsQCA to predict tourist resource-saving behavioral intentions in rural tourism: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health., 20(2): 1349.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 January 2024