Farm level tree planting in Pakistan: the moderating role of past behaviour in

predicting intentions

University College of Agriculture, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, PAKISTAN

MUHAMMAD ZUBAIRAssistant Professor of Forestrydikhan2000@hotmail.com

Rationale

• Low forest cover (4.8%)• Mainstay of rural livelihoods/ increased reliance• Excessive illicit stock removal (commercial/

govt. predicaments)• Problems of erosion, land sliding etc.

(Desertification)• 75% of forest cover will diminish by 2025 in

NWFP (PFRI)

Govt to uncover strategies, feasible

solution

Farm Forestry

Government launched many projects

Efforts rather doubtful

Outcome

Lower uptake

Mixed response Low local participation

Reluctance of land tree growing

Reasons for Failure

Focus (biological/ technical)

Wrong anticipation of local acceptance

long gestation/ lack of immediate gains

Little emphasis on beneficiaries acceptance

The major constraint in the cultivation of trees on state lands are well understood; less understood is what the farmers themselves believe to be the major constraints to tree cultivation on their lands

(Dove, 1995)

Farm Forestry is not a simple activity to undertake

Farm Forestry Decision Making

Factors for volitional control (ease/difficulty)

Follow cognitive process

Approval/ Disapproval of the closed ones

Frequency of past practice

“Human beings are creatures of habit in that they tend to persist in doing what they have become accustomed to”

(Ajzen, 2002)

Theoretical Framework

ATTITUDE

SUBJECTIVENORMS

PERCEIVEDBEHAVIOURAL

CONTROL

INTENTION BEHAVIOUR

+/ -Evaluation

Salient Referents

Ease/Difficulty Actual

Control

Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1988)

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 753 4

16

128

1st StageCircle Selection

2nd STAGEVillage Selection

3rd STAGEFarmers’Selection

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

4(2+2)

16/16 16/16 16/16 16/16

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 753 4

16

128

1st StageCircle Selection

2nd STAGEVillage Selection

3rd STAGEFarmers’Selection

Respondents – FF (64) & NFF (64)

Results

Past Behaviour Categories

FF NFF Total Chi-square

test

Often 52% 13% 37% 36.89 (.000)a

Moderately 27% 22% 24%

Rarely 17% 23% 20%

Not et al 4% 41% 18%

Association of past behaviour and performance of farm forestry

2 3 4 5

1. Intention ** ** ns **2. Attitude ** ns **3. Subjective Norm ns **4. Perceived Behavioural

Controlns

5. Past Behaviour

Spearman's rho between TPB components and past behaviour

Predictor Interactions F-value Sig.

Attitude x past behaviour 2.947 **

Subjective norm x past behaviour 7.975 ***

PBC x past behaviour 2.490 *

Moderating role of past behaviour to predict TPB variables-

intention relationship for FF (GLM regression analysis)

Predictor Interactions F-value Sig.

Attitude x past behaviour 0.608 ns

Subjective norm x past behaviour 1.950 ns

PBC x past behaviour 1.776 ns

Moderating role of past behaviour to predict TPB variables-

intention relationship for NFF (GLM regression analysis)

Findings

Intention to plant trees on farmlands is influenced by the constructs of TPB

Past behaviour has strengthened the relationship between attitude, SN & PBC.

Conclusions

Wider social role of forestry officials Cognitive and normative elements of society-a prerequisiteIncreased source-recipient sharing expectationsPolicies to be flexible and accommodate changing environments

Thanks

2nd World Congress of Agroforestry, Nairobi, Kenya, 2009