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Determinants of the Acceptance of Sustainable Production Strategies among Dairy Farmers: Development and Testing of a Modified Technology Acceptance Model

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  • Simona Naspetti

    (Dipartimento di Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell’Ambiente ed Urbanistica (SIMAU), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona 60131, Italy)

  • Serena Mandolesi

    (Dipartimento di Scienze e Ingegneria della Materia, dell’Ambiente ed Urbanistica (SIMAU), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona 60131, Italy)

  • Jeroen Buysse

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium)

  • Terhi Latvala

    (LUKE, Economic Research, Latokartanonkaari 9, FI-00790 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Philippa Nicholas

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, IBERS Gogerddan Campus, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3EE, UK)

  • Susanne Padel

    (Organic Research Centre, Elm Farm, Hamstead Marshall, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 0HR, UK)

  • Ellen J. Van Loo

    (Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, B-9000 Gent, Belgium)

  • Raffaele Zanoli

    (Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali (D3A), Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona 60131, Italy)

Abstract

An extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied by means of Structural Equation Modelling to testing various hypotheses on attitudes and intentions of dairy farmers towards three novel sustainable production strategies, as well as the influence of organic practices and collaborative behaviours, such as information sharing with supply-chain partners. Data on the acceptance of three sustainable production strategies, namely ‘Agro-forestry’, ‘Alternative protein source’, and ‘Prolonged maternal feeding’ were collected by a survey of dairy farmers in six European Union (EU) countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, United Kingdom). We found that perceived usefulness is the key determinant of acceptance, while the intention to adopt a sustainable production strategy may derive from the influence of opinions (and behaviours) of relevant others (e.g., leading dairy farmers, family members, advisors) showing the role of interactions among farmers and other stakeholders in the adoption of innovations. Finally, the perceived usefulness of all of the investigated strategies is higher for organic farmers, while collaborative patterns reduce the impact of subjective norm on usefulness and overall acceptance. Our findings should encourage policy makers to consider the important role of supply chain management practices, including collaboration, to enhance the sustainability of dairy farming systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Simona Naspetti & Serena Mandolesi & Jeroen Buysse & Terhi Latvala & Philippa Nicholas & Susanne Padel & Ellen J. Van Loo & Raffaele Zanoli, 2017. "Determinants of the Acceptance of Sustainable Production Strategies among Dairy Farmers: Development and Testing of a Modified Technology Acceptance Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-16, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:10:p:1805-:d:114174
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    References listed on IDEAS

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