Using theory of planned behaviour to understand and manage the factors affecting farmers’ intention in pesticide use

• Education level positively affects all variables of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). • As perceived control, attitude and knowledge increase, farmers’ intentions to use pesticides decrease. • Moral norms do not limit farmers’ pesticide use intentions, but are consistent with the TPB model. • Behavioural control and attitude are key components in reducing pesticide use intention. • Education about pesticides, alternative methods and deterrent penalties are important in reducing farmers’ intentions to use pesticide. Misuse and overuse of pesticides cause irreversible damage to the environment and human health and negatively affect sustainability in agriculture. This study was conducted to determine the factors affecting farmers’ intentions to use pesticides with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Unlike the previous studies in this topic, this study includes moral norms, knowledge and awareness of government actions, which are not included in the original TPB but are tested separately in different studies. In this study, data were collected from 363 farmers by random sampling method with the help of pre-prepared questionnaires. The results showed that attitude, perceived behavioural control, pesticide knowledge and awareness of government actions increased with increasing age. In addition, it was found that educational status positively affected all variables of TPB. One of the important results of the study was that the TPB variables of farmers engaged in mixed production increased positively. In line with the results obtained, it was determined that as the scores of perceived behavioural control, attitude and knowledge about pesticides increased, farmers’ intentions regarding pesticide use decreased. According to the results of the research, moral norms do not reduce farmers’ intentions regarding pesticide use, that is, farmers do not limit their pesticide use from an ethical perspective. However, moral norms (MN) have shown results that are highly compatible with the TPB model, and it is extremely important to include MN the TPB structure in studies to be conducted with different societies and samples.