Development of a psychometric scale for measuring farmers' attitudes toward crop residue management practices

This research presents the Attitude Scale for Crop Residue Management (AS-CRM), a validated tool designed to measure farmers' psychological tendencies toward crop residue management practices. Addressing the pressing need for reliable instruments in agricultural sustainability research, the AS-CRM was developed using Likert’s summated rating scale method through a structured three-stage process: item generation, item selection and statistical validation. An initial pool of 70 statements was created through a literature review and expert consultations. Following expert evaluation, 45 items were selected and administered to 60 farmers in a non-sample area for item analysis. Based on t-test values (≥ 2.05), 20 items were retained for the final scale. The instrument demonstrated high reliability (Guttman Split-Half Coefficient = 0.947) and strong content validity confirmed by expert judgment. The final 20 item scale is scored on a five-point continuum ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Key findings highlighted positive attitudes in areas related to environmental awareness and soil health benefits, whereas scepticism remained around labour intensity and economic feasibility. The AS-CRM offers a robust framework for understanding farmer perceptions, facilitating the design of targeted behavioural interventions and policy measures. By providing a standardized assessment mechanism, it supports evidence-based decision making for promoting sustainable crop residue management practices and advancing climate-resilient agriculture.