The Predictive Validity of Theory of Planned Behaviour to Understand Performance of Agroforestry in Punjab, Pakistan
Muhammad Zubair *
Department of Forestry and Range Management, FAS&T, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Ateeba Arshad
Department of Forestry and Range Management, FAS&T, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Syed Bilal Hussain
Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Matoor Mohsin Gilani
Department of Forestry and Range Management, FAS&T, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Agroforestry remained instrumental in ensuring food security, ameliorate environment and support livelihood across the globe particularly the developing countries. Present research made use of Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand performance of agroforestry in Southern Punjab. A total of 130 randomly selected respondents belonging to two groups; farmers practicing Agroforestry (AF) and Non-Agroforestry farmers (NAF) were interviewed to explore their attitudes, Subjective Norms (SN) and Perceived behavioral Control (PBC) to form intention to grow trees along with agricultural crops on their farms. Results revealed that constructs of TPB explained AF showed positive attitudes underpinning beliefs, value opinions of salient referents and feel more ease in planting trees than those of NAF thereby forming positive intention to adopt agroforestry. It is concluded that application of this model would be helpful in the promotion of agroforestry in the region.
Keywords: TPB, agroforestry, perceptions, adoption