Influence of Psychological Factors on Dairy Farmers’ Intentions to Adopt Environmental Sustainability Practices in Paraná State, Brazil
, Julio Cesar Damasceno 2 and Henrique Leal Perez 2Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsComments to the manuscript Sustainability 2993892 ’Influence of psychological factors on dairy farmers' intention to 2 adopt environmental sustainability practices’
I have only minor comments and recommendations:
1) As the authors indicate that the conclusions of their research refers exclusively to Parana state of Brazil- it seems reasonable to indicate this fact in the Title of the manuscript
2) It will be fine if the authors provide a map of the country with the indication of Parana state
3) Taking into account a possible effect of environmental factors, such as geographical situation and season it seems desirable to indicate the period of investigation, a short characteristic of this period, may be geographical coordinates, etc
4) Is it possible to make any suppositions about the suitability of H1 and H2 hypothesis to other regions of the country, perhaps, indicating the closest conditions of husbandry to Parana data?
5) Table 2- add a citation of Table 1 data in footnotes of Table 2 to decipher the meanings of (1-4): INT, ATT, SN, PBC1-4
6) Line 189: ‘The mean daily production over the previous year was 165.92 ± 246.47 kg’- kg of what?- milk, meat, eggs????
7) Lines 369, 391, 395,423: please, add the reference number instead of a year and delete the year number
Author Response
Dear reviewers, thank you for your suggestions for improving the manuscript. We believe that the manuscript has improved greatly following your suggestions.
We accept all your suggestions and present each of your positions below.
We remain at your disposal for any further clarifications.
Reviewer 1:
1) As the authors indicate that the conclusions of their research refers exclusively to Parana state of Brazil - it seems reasonable to indicate this fact in the Title of the manuscript
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
“Influence of psychological factors on dairy farmers' intention to adopt environmental sustainability practices in Paraná State, Brazil”.
2) It will be fine if the authors provide a map of the country with the indication of Parana state
Response: Thank you. We have added a map.
3) Taking into account a possible effect of environmental factors, such as geographical situation and season it seems desirable to indicate the period of investigation, a short characteristic of this period, may be geographical coordinates, etc
Response: Thank you. We have added this information.
“Data was collected between February and December 2023”.
“The geographical coordinates of Paraná, Brazil are 24⁰ 36’ S 51⁰ 23’ O”.
4) Is it possible to make any suppositions about the suitability of H1 and H2 hypothesis to other regions of the country, perhaps, indicating the closest conditions of husbandry to Parana data?
Response: Yes. Considering that the characteristics of milk production and producers located in the State of Paraná are similar to those in other Brazilian regions, we believe that the results found in this research can adequately represent Brazilian milk farmers. However, we cannot say in which regions or to what degree the results can be extrapolated. For this reason, we consider it more prudent to indicate that the results represent the sample analyzed.
5) Table 2- add a citation of Table 1 data in footnotes of Table 2 to decipher the meanings of (1-4): INT, ATT, SN, PBC1-4
Response: Thank you. We have added this information.
“INT 2, 3 and 4; ATT 1, 2, 3, and 4; SN 2, 3 and 4; PCB 2, 4 and 5 – are shown in Table 1”.
6) Line 189: ‘The mean daily production over the previous year was 165.92 ± 246.47 kg’- kg of what?- milk, meat, eggs????
Response: Thank you. As suggested by the reviewers, we have changed the unit from “kg” to “liter” of milk.
7) Lines 369, 391, 395,423: please, add the reference number instead of a year and delete the year number
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsIn introduction section (lines 67-74) the authors state the main goal of the study that is “...the intention of dairy farmers in Paraná State, Brazil, to adopt environmental sustainability practices” has been examined as well as the three hypotheses they have proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: H1, attitude has a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm; H2, subjective norms have a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm; and H3, perceived behavioral control has a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm.
It is an interesting manuscript. Some comments and propositions are next given, that can help authors to improve the manuscript.
I suggest authors to check the form of the numeric data they present in lines 188 – 192, for example “...previous year was 165.92 ± 246.47 kg, with a mode of 50.00 kg...”
The unit of the milk measurement is used is kg instead of liter. It should properly be defined/explained.
The authors should revise the expressions they use in some places, in the discussion section, such those in lines 327 - 328:
- The structural model indicated that “two constructs (ATT and SN) had a positive and significant influence” on farmers' intention to adopt…
- ...reform it taking into account that it is found that there is a “positive significant relation between the variables INT and ATT & SN”. Thus, “ATT and SN have a positive influence on INT”…
The same stands for the expressions in:
- ... lines 364 - 365: “...SN had a positive and significant impact on farmers' intention” to adopt environmental sustainability practices…
- … line 444: “ATT and SN had a positive and significant effect on the intention (INT) of dairy farmers…”
- In lines 435 – 438, the authors state “Another limitation is the possibility that farmers misinterpreted items of the questionnaire. We are aware that, although explanations and examples about sustainability practices were provided, errors in interpretation might have occurred…” Because the reliability and validity of the results may decrease, authors should give sufficient definitions/implications.
A deeper discussion of the results with those of previous studies can increase the value of the paper. The authors should take into account that the conclusion section is rather a repetition of the results, without a broader scientific interest.
Author Response
Dear reviewers, thank you for your suggestions for improving the manuscript. We believe that the manuscript has improved greatly following your suggestions.
We accept all your suggestions and present each of your positions below.
We remain at your disposal for any further clarifications.
Sincerely,
Reviewer 2:
In introduction section (lines 67-74) the authors state the main goal of the study that is “...the intention of dairy farmers in Paraná State, Brazil, to adopt environmental sustainability practices” has been examined as well as the three hypotheses they have proposed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior: H1, attitude has a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm; H2, subjective norms have a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm; and H3, perceived behavioral control has a positive and significant influence on farmers' intention to implement environmental sustainability actions on the farm.
It is an interesting manuscript. Some comments and propositions are next given, that can help authors to improve the manuscript.
I suggest authors to check the form of the numeric data they present in lines 188 – 192, for example “...previous year was 165.92 ± 246.47 kg, with a mode of 50.00 kg...”
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
The unit of the milk measurement is used is kg instead of liter. It should properly be defined/explained.
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
The authors should revise the expressions they use in some places, in the discussion section, such those in lines 327 - 328:
- The structural model indicated that “two constructs (ATT and SN) had a positive and significant influence” on farmers' intention to adopt…
- ...reform it taking into account that it is found that there is a “positive significant relation between the variables INT and ATT & SN”. Thus, “ATT and SN have a positive influence on INT”…
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
The same stands for the expressions in:
- ... lines 364 - 365: “...SN had a positive and significant impact on farmers' intention” to adopt environmental sustainability practices…
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
- … line 444: “ATT and SN had a positive and significant effect on the intention (INT) of dairy farmers…”
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
- In lines 435 – 438, the authors state “Another limitation is the possibility that farmers misinterpreted items of the questionnaire. We are aware that, although explanations and examples about sustainability practices were provided, errors in interpretation might have occurred…” Because the reliability and validity of the results may decrease, authors should give sufficient definitions/implications.
Response: Thank you. We have added this information.
“Limitations of this kind are inherent in any research that focuses on issues that are difficult to measure and are fundamentally less objective in nature. Other studies have already identified such limitations (de Oliveira Sidinei et al., 2021; Tonet et al., 2023).”
de Oliveira Sidinei, M. E. A., Marcato, S. M., Perez, H. L., & Bánkuti, F. I. (2021). Biosecurity, environmental sustainability, and typological characteristics of broiler farms in Paraná State, Brazil. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 194(June). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105426
Tonet, R. M., Bánkuti, F. I., Damasceno, J. C., Siqueira, T. T. da S., Bouroullec, M. D. M., & Loddi, M. M. (2023). Typology of Brazilian dairy farms based on vulnerability characteristics. Animal - Open Space, 2, 100040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2023.100040
A deeper discussion of the results with those of previous studies can increase the value of the paper. The authors should take into account that the conclusion section is rather a repetition of the results, without a broader scientific interest.
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe paper is a highly relevant and contemporary research topic that delves into the psychological barriers and incentives that Brazilian dairy farmers face in adopting environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The topic of this paper is interesting and potentially important, exploring an issue with profound implications for global agricultural and environmental policy. But there are some problems with the paper.
1. This study examined the intention of dairy farmers in Parana State, Brazil to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. It should be considered whether it is feasible to extend the conclusions from local areas to the whole country.
2. The questionnaire surveyed 15 dairy farmers. The author should consider whether the result is accurate because the sample data is too small.
3. The analysis of the research results is not comprehensive enough. Will further analysis be considered?
4. Policy recommendations should be analyzed according to the conclusions of this study.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageMinor editing of English language required.
Author Response
Dear reviewers, thank you for your suggestions for improving the manuscript. We believe that the manuscript has improved greatly following your suggestions.
We accept all your suggestions and present each of your positions below.
We remain at your disposal for any further clarifications.
Sincerely,
Reviewer 3:
The paper is a highly relevant and contemporary research topic that delves into the psychological barriers and incentives that Brazilian dairy farmers face in adopting environmentally friendly agricultural practices. The topic of this paper is interesting and potentially important, exploring an issue with profound implications for global agricultural and environmental policy. But there are some problems with the paper.
1. This study examined the intention of dairy farmers in Parana State, Brazil to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. It should be considered whether it is feasible to extend the conclusions from local areas to the whole country.
Response: Thank you. We believe that the results found in this study can be generalized to other regions of Brazil. This is because the production systems and characteristics of the dairy farmers analyzed represent the Brazilian reality well. However, we cannot say in which regions or to what degree the results can be extrapolated. For this reason, we consider it more prudent to indicate that the results represent the sample analyzed.
2. The questionnaire surveyed 15 dairy farmers. The author should consider whether the result is accurate because the sample data is too small.
Response: Thank you. Initially, 15 questionnaires were used to gather qualitative information. Then, 100 quantitative questionnaires were used to produce the results of the survey.
3. The analysis of the research results is not comprehensive enough. Will further analysis be considered?
Response: Thank you. The analyses were based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TCP) (Icek Ajzen, 1991) and the structural equations method (Hair et al., 2009). This approach has been widely used to analyze the intentions of agents, including rural producers in various parts of the world (Bagheri et al., 2019; Morais et al., 2017; Wang et al., 2019). We followed the procedures set out in this theoretical framework.
Bagheri, A., Bondori, A., Allahyari, M. S., & Damalas, C. A. (2019). Modeling farmers’ intention to use pesticides: An expanded version of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Environmental Management, 248(June), 109291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109291
Hair, J. F. Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.). Prentice Hall.
Icek Ajzen. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(50), 179–211. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Morais, M., Binotto, E., & Borges, J. A. R. (2017). Identifying beliefs underlying successors’ intention to take over the farm. Land Use Policy, 68(April), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.07.024
Wang, Y., Liang, J., Yang, J., Ma, X., Li, X., Wu, J., Yang, G., Ren, G., & Feng, Y. (2019). Analysis of the environmental behavior of farmers for non-point source pollution control and management: An integration of the theory of planned behavior and the protection motivation theory. Journal of Environmental Management, 237, 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.02.070
4. Policy recommendations should be analyzed according to the conclusions of this study.
Response: Thank you. We have changed.
