Consumer intention to buy green agricultural products in Kerman: Taking into account environmental considerations

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Ag. Econ. Dept.

Abstract

The limitations of natural resources and the occurrence of environmental pollution as a threat to mankind have increased in the last decade. Green agricultural products are closely related to the environment and the consumer. Therefore, it is important to consider the factors affecting customer's intention towards buying green products. The present research attempts to understand the consumers' intention toward buying green agricultural products. The study has used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as its theoretical framework and further attempted to extend the TPB by incorporating additional constructs (environmental concern & environmental knowledge) in it. In this regard, a random cluster sample of 384 consumers was obtained in Kerman city, and the required data were collected and analyzed with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM). The finding reported the usefulness of TPB in predicting consumers' intention towards purchasing green agricultural products. The result also supported the applicability of including additional constructs in TPB, as it has improved the proposed model prediction tool. The effect of environmental concern and environmental knowledge on the intention towards buying green products has been positive too. At the end, the implications for policy makers have been discussed. One of the notable applications is helping the government, the private sector, employers and marketers to formulate appropriate strategies for green products and their purchase.

Keywords

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