Unveiling noncompliance with pesticide practice guidelines and trust in local extension services among small-scale farmers

<br/><b>Purpose</b><br/>This study examines farmers’ noncompliance with pesticide practice guidelines and their trust in local extension services via indirect questioning to mitigate social desirability bias.<br/><b>Methodology</b><br/>An indirect questioning method (list experiment) was conducted with 876 Vietnamese green tea farmers. The data were analyzed via multivariate regression models.<br/><b>Findings</b><br/>Indirect questioning revealed that 21%–28% of farmers reported noncompliance with pesticide guidelines; nearly double the rate reported through direct questioning. Conversely, the proportion of farmers who trust pesticide recommendations from extension services decreases by one-third via indirect questioning. Our subsample analysis further reveals that the prevalence of noncompliance with pesticide practice guidelines is higher among female farmers. Regarding the credibility of extension services, local extension officers have a greater influence among senior farmers.<br/><b>Practical Implications</b><br/>Because noncompliance with pesticide guidelines is more common among female farmers, agricultural extension implementers should provide supplementary training and support females to enhance proper pesticide usage. In addition, leveraging local extension officers as primary information disseminators can enhance the effectiveness of extension services, in particular in engaging senior farmers.<br/><b>Theoretical Implications</b><br/>This study extends the framework of social desirability bias to the agriculture sector by investigating sensitive issues in pesticide practice and extension services.<br/><b>Originality/Value</b><br/>This study is the first to investigate farmers’ noncompliance with pesticide practice guidelines and their trust in extension services via indirect questioning.