Factors Affecting Biofertilizer Application by Farmers in Yengijeh, Zanjan

Application of biofertilizer is governed by different factors whose identification and knowledge will play a great role in farmer acceptance of the fertilizers. The present quantitative study was conducted to identify the factors involved in the use of biofertilizers by farmers in Yengijeh village, Zanjan, Iran. The statistical population consisted of all the local farmers (N=313). Using Yamane formula, the sample size was calculated at 175 but data were ultimately collected from 165 farmers through the convenience sampling method. For this purpose, a questionnaire was used whose face validity had been approved by an expert panel and its reliability was computed via Cronbach' alpha (α˃ 0.7). Binary logit regression was employed to examine the effects of two categories of variables on biofertilizer consumption; these included farmers' individual characteristics (including attitude toward and knowledge about biofertilizers and communication channels) and perceived innovation characteristics (including compatibility, trialability, observability, complexity, and relative advantage). Results revealed that while the three innovation characteristics of trialability, observability, and complexity had significant effects on fertilizer consumption, farmers' individual characteristics had none whatsoever.