Work

The perception to practice pathway of integrated pest management in horticulture: an extended Technology Acceptance Model

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: An extended Technology Acceptance Model was used to explore the pathway between the perception of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by growers and its practical uptake. IPM is an established framework for the management of crop health based on a range of strategic and tactical horticultural techniques, the adoption of which is quantified in this research through the results of a novel IPM metric. Policy makers need to understand the perception to practice pathway for IPM in order to increase adoption in line with regulatory frameworks. The TAM examines perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) on the attitude and subsequent acceptance of a technology; extended TAM frameworks incorporate additional antecedent variables. In this study, we include the additional latent variables of business features and innovativeness to examine their capacity to predict the adoption of IPM at the farm business level. Findings verify the correlation between PU, PEOU and attitude and the impact of PEOU on PU. PU has a stronger effect on attitude than PEOU. Neither business features nor innovativeness impacted on PU or PEOU respectively. The hypothetical correlation between attitude and IPM adoption was rejected, demonstrating a divide in the perception to practice trajectory and adding to the literature on the attitude to adoption gap. The findings demonstrate the value of empirical assessment of behavioural data. An implication for IPM policy direction is that grower perception does not always infer future grower adoption. Therefore, a cautionary reliance on perception data during the ex-ante stages of IPM incentivisation development is recommended.

Source: Crop Protection

DOI: 10.1016/j.cropro.2025.107478

Authors: Jennifer Byrne, Lael Walsh, Robert Lillywhite, Henry Creissen, Antonia dos Santos, Fiona Thorne

Institutions: Teagasc - The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, University of Warwick, University of the Highlands and Islands

Language: English

Topic: Agricultural Innovations and Practices

Subfield: General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,360