Farmers' perceptions and intentions alongside the EU-27 to use Bio-based fertilisers: Insights from the Theory of Planned Behavior and Expected Utility Theory.

One of the greatest ambitions of the EU is to provide safe and healthy agricultural products with the least environmental impacts. During the last decades, the success and expansion of the agricultural industry is due in large part to the use of mineral fertilisers. However, their usage has come along with significant environmental degradation. One of the present alternatives is the use of newly developed bio-based fertilisers. 

Bio-based fertilisers are produced from a diverse range of biological wastes under specific processing technologies. Studies have tested their efficiency and they promise to be as efficient as mineral fertilisers, although it has been discussed in the academic literature that users’ acceptance might be lower than expected.  

This study was conducted to analyze farmers’ perceptions for the acceptance of bio-based fertilisers. We proposed the use of the Theory of Planned Behavior and an extended version with the use of Expected Utility Theory as theoretical framework via the application of an online questionnaire. A total of 332 valid questionnaires were obtained via online survey to farmers across the EU-27.  

Our results suggest that the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the extended version of TPB with Expected Utility Theory (EUT) elements are a useful method for measuring intentions to adopt bio-based fertilisers. It was found that there was a strong correlation between attitudinal perceptions and perceived benefits and risks, which is consistent to what is discussed in literature. Whereas no significant influence from social circles and knowledge was encountered.  

Policy makers and the fertiliser industry should focus on promoting and giving information to modify the attitudinal perception of use of bio-based fertilisers with a specific focus on improvements on benefits and minimization of economic risks of use of bio-based fertilisers. Further work for this research should include cross-regional comparison to design specific measures towards the development of the bio-based fertiliser industry more accurately.