Adoption of Irrigation Water Contamination Prevention Practices Among Smallholder Farmers in Chile: Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Structural Variables

Engineering notes

Results indicate that adoption was significantly associated with favorable attitudes toward preventive practices (OR = 1.16; p = 0.014) and supportive subjective norms (OR = 1.21; p = 0.037), while perceived behavioral control showed no significant effect.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为端到端自动驾驶、BEV感知、3D目标检测、轨迹预测、路径规划、LiDAR感知等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Irrigation water quality is a crucial factor for agricultural sustainability and food safety, particularly amid climate change, water scarcity, and inadequate rural infrastructure. This study identifies the behavioral and structural factors associated with the adoption of eight water contamination prevention practices among smallholder farmers in central Chile, including irrigation canal cleaning, use of water filters, rainwater collection systems, and irrigation methods that avoid contact between edible crop parts and water. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), behavioral constructs were integrated with structural features of production systems to capture both cognitive and contextual drivers of adoption. A survey of 101 farmers in the O’Higgins Region was conducted, and a binary logistic regression model was applied (n = 96; AUC = 0.821). Results indicate that adoption was significantly associated with favorable attitudes toward preventive practices (OR = 1.16; p = 0.014) and supportive subjective norms (OR = 1.21; p = 0.037), while perceived behavioral control showed no significant effect. Among structural factors, the use of modern irrigation technologies was the strongest predictor (OR = 16.55; p < 0.001), followed by diversified production systems (OR = 14.55; p = 0.003) and the cultivation of fruit trees or vines (OR = 9.00; p = 0.002). These findings indicate that attitudinal and normative factors are more consistently associated with adoption when supported by enabling infrastructure and production conditions. They underscore the need for integrated policy approaches that align motivational and material components to promote sustainable water management practices in resource-constrained agricultural contexts.

Links and sources

• PDF from original source

Comments