American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci.

, 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015

ISSN 1818-6769
© IDOSI Publications, 2015
DOI: 10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2015.15.6.94240

Factors Influencing Farmers in Cameron Highlands to

Use Insecticide in Cabbage Cultivation
1
M. Zurina, 2M.N. Mohd Roff, 3A. Azizan and 1A.B. Idris

Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan

1

Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

2
Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI),
Persiaran MARDI-UPM,43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
3
Faculty of Extention Education, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract: The alarming negative effects of insecticide used in farming have caused growing concerns by many
people. Due to that, various strategies were established to curb the overuse of insecticide, particularly on
cabbage cultivation in Cameron Highlands, which is one of the major vegetable producing regions in Malaysia.
Unfortunately, the rates of insecticide use remain highly variable. It is the responsibility of the government to
shoulder and tackle this problem effectively, especially in finding out the main reasons why insecticide is
preferable as the main insect pest control management. This study employed Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to understand farmers’ specific attitudes (SA), subjective norms
(SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and past behavior (PB) towards insecticides use in Cameron
Highlands. Simple random sampling procedure was used in selecting 370 cabbage farmers for the study.
Five-point Likert scale questionnaires were used to collect data. The data was collected through survey
interviews and was analyzed using inferential statistic (correlation and regression). Results of the analysis
showed a significant relationship between SA, SN, PBC, PB and the farmers’ intention to apply insecticide in
the coming season. PBC was the most important influential factor for behavioural intention, followed by PB,
SA and NS.

Key words: Insecticide Theory of Planned Behaviour Technology Acceptance Model

INTRODUCTION Insecticides are famously used and have been the

Cabbage (Brassica olearaceae var. capitata) is one
of the main vegetables consumed by people in Malaysia.
The total local production of cabbage is 1,108,325.62
metric tons and Cameron Highlands produces 87% of the
total Malaysian cabbage production [1]. The cabbage
produced is mostly consumed by local consumers and
exported mainly to Singapore. Cabbage is intensively
cultivated particularly by farmers in Cameron Highlands
to meet the increasing demand. However, the
intensification of cabbage farming is threatened by a
common problem of high pest infestation, mostly by
insect pests scientifically called Plutella xylostella.
This pest infestation has affected the mass farming
production in many parts of the world. This unfortunately
causes more than 90% crop loss [2].
primary strategy to control P. xylostella for more than
40 years [3]. Hence, more than 90% of cabbage
farmers in Cameron Highlands use insecticide to control
P. xylostella [4]. However, it creates another concern on
the long-term impacts of vegetable production in Cameron
Highlands, particularly on health hazards, insecticide
residues, insect resistance and contamination of the
environment. Due to the dire need to adopt pests control
as well as to facade a high-quality appearance of
products, high insecticide residues have been detected on
vegetables which causes rejection by consumers in
Singapore [5]. Other than Singapore, the issue of
insecticide residues in food and environment has also
been one of the major concerns of the Malaysian
government, Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and
World Health Organization (WHO).

Corresponding Author: M. Zurina, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi,
Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: +03-88610200.
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 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015
Growing concerns over this matter have increased
more public interests especially on finding alternative
ways or control methods, such as through integrated pest
management (IPM), crop rotation and biological control.
However, despite the use of safer control methods,
insecticides are still highly trusted by farmers particularly
as the problem of pests attack remains the same.
Therefore, this study is to examine farmers’ specific
attitudes (SN), subjective norms (SN), perceived
behavioural control (PBC) and past behaviour (PB)
towards insecticides use in Cameron Highlands.
Research Objectives: The study of behavioural approach
was carried out in Cameron Highlands in June and July
2014. The purpose of this research was to determine the
influential factors which cause the cabbage farmers in
Cameron Highlands to use insecticide, using TPB and
TAM. The specific research objectives were i) to study
the relationship between SA, SN, PBC, PB and
behavioural intention; ii) to study the contribution of SA,
SN, PBC, PB on behavioural intention.
Theoretical Frameworks
Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB): TPB is extended
from the Theory of Reasoned Action [6]. TPB provides a
theoretical framework to investigate the factors which
influence behavioural choices or decision making.
This study uses TPB as the main theoretical basis to
identify the factors which influenced cabbage farmers in
Cameron Highlands to use insecticide as their pest
control management particularly to control P. xylostella.
The theory assumes that people would behave rationally,
when they consider the implications of their actions.
The TPB hypothesizes that the immediate determinant of
behaviour is the individual’s intention to perform, or not
to perform certain behaviour. Intention is influenced by
three factors (Figure 1). The three factors are specific
attitude (SA), subjective norms (SN) and perceived
behavioural control (PBC). SA refers to individual’s
favourable or unfavourable evaluation in performing the
behaviour. SN is based on individual’s perception on
what important people in their lives would want them to
perform the behaviour. PBC reflects the extent to which
individuals perceived the behaviour to be under volitional
control [7].
Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): TAM has been
extensively applied by many researchers to determine
users’ acceptance towards various types of technologies.
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Apart from that, it has also been used to explain users’
adoption of technologies. Numerous empirical studies
have found TAM to be a robust and parsimonious model
in explaining technology usage. TAM is perceived as
useful and user friendly or easy to use [8]. Usefulness
refers to users’ feelings or perception of improved
performance when they use the technology. It is also
perceived to be easy to use or user friendly due to it
concerns how users perceived their exerted efforts in
using the technology. In the context of this study, the
adoption of insecticide requires farmers to feel confidence
on the effectiveness of insecticide as a useful technology
to control insect pests. In addition, farmers should have
a strong believe that insecticide is easy to be used.
According to TPB, these two aspects of TAM will affect
user’s attitude. In addition, TAM states that personal
perception on the usefulness of certain method will have
a direct effect on user’s behavioural intention. In addition,
personal perception on the ease of use would indirectly
affect behavioural intention through perceived usefulness
(Figure 2).
Research Model: In our study, TPB was used as the basic
theoretical foundation, past behaviour was an added
construct as an extension for TPB and TAM in the
research model (Figure 3). Two theoretical
perspectives were combined for the following reasons.
First, although previous research has found TAM to
be a parsimonious and robust model, TAM only
employs two variables, there are users’ attitude and users’
believe (Perceived usefulness) to explain behavioural
intention. However, a user’s behavioural intention
toward the use of insecticide will also be affected by other
factors such as the opinions of other important persons
(SN) [9]. Furthermore, even if users have a strong
intention to perform a behaviour, they will not be able to
do so without the necessary resources and skills (PBC)
[10]. Secondly, while TPB provides us the basic
theoretical framework in analysing insecticide usage, it
does not inform us on what attitudinal toward believe
would affect a user’s attitude to use insecticide.
Attitudinal belief in TAM is more specific and relevant to
the insecticide used in this study. Thirdly, past behaviour
is another construct added to the framework, this is due
to reports of empirical studies that it affected behavioural
decision making [11]. Lastly, the actual usage is not
included in this model due to time; cost and labour factors
as well as the researchers have chosen cross sectional
study.
 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015
Specific Attitude (SA)
Subjective Norm (SN)
Perceived Behavioural
Control (PBC)
Fig. 1: The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)
Perceived
usefulness
External
variables
Perceived
Ease of use
Fig. 2: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
Specific Attitude
(Perceived Usefulness & Perceived
Ease of Use)
Subjective Norm
Perceived Behavioural Control
Past Behaviour
Fig 3. Research Model
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Research Design: This is a quantitative study using a
survey design. The questionnaire was adapted from
previous researches related to insecticide use and
application of TPB and TAM [12,13]
Research Sample: The population in this study
was cabbage farmers who used insecticide to control
P. xylostella in Cameron Highlands. The sample size
was determined according to Krejie Morgan’s table. 370
cabbage farmers in Cameron Highlands were randomly
selected as respondents and they were interviewed
using the questionnaire. The interviews were conducted
using appropriate languages (Bahasa Melayu and
Mandarin). The cabbage farmers in Cameron Highlands
were purposely chosen as the samples of this study
because Cameron Highlands is the main national
cabbage production and most of the cabbage farmers are
using insecticides to control P. xylostella.
Behavioural Actual
Intention Behaviour
Usage Usage Actual
attitude intention usage
TPB
TAM
Behavioural Intention
Research Instrument: To serve the purpose of this
study, the questionnaire is divided into two parts, Part A
and B. Part A consists of questions related to the
dependent variable (Intention) and four independent
variables (SA, SN, PBC and PB). Part B focuses on
demographic questions. There are 56 items comprising
the constructs for intention (7 items), SA (12 items), SN
(13 items), PBC (11 items), PB (4 items) and demographic
(9 items). All items were arranged in a proper sequence as
items with the same response options were grouped
together. In addition, difficult and demographic items were
prepared at the end of the questionnaire to avoid negative
effects on the willingness of respondents to answer the
questionnaire honestly. Scale interval of 5-point Likert
scale was used for the questions in part A while nominal
and ordinal questions were prepared for items in Part B.
The items were designed based on previous researches
related to insecticide use behaviour and application of
TPB and TAM. The reliability of the instrument was
based on the value of Alpha Cronbach which was 0.961.
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 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015
Fig. 4: The Map of Cameron Highlands and the Areas of Study
Research Location: The district of Cameron Highlands
(4°28' N, 101 °28' E) is about 715 km2 in area (Figure 4).
The height is between 900 and 1800 m above sea level and
the highest peak is 2032 m. Cameron Highlands is
significantly cooler than Malaysia’s lowlands. The district
experiences a mild temperature between 14 –24°C
throughout the year and the average rainfall normally
recorded around 2660 mm. There are various natural types
of soil in Cameron Highlands and they are mainly derived
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from granite, sandy and also sandy clay loam textures
[14]. The natural types of soil and whether contribute to
the importance of agricultural activities in Cameron
Highlands.
Cameron Highlands is the major cabbage growing
region in Malaysia. An amazing 4,948.50 ha land areas in
Cameron Highland are cultivating cabbage which
contribute 87% of local production [15]. The cabbage
cultivation areas are divided into three different zones.
 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015
There are Northen, Central and Southern zones, as shown
in Figure 4. Northen zone consists of the Blue Valley,
Kampung Raja and Kuala Terla areas, whereas the Central
zone covers Tanah Rata, Brinchang, Tringkap, Kea Farm
and Sungai Palas. However, Ringlet, Bertam Valley and
Habu are cultivation areas in the Southern zone.
Data Analysis: The data was analysed using IBM SPSS
statistics version 22 software. Data analysis was
performed through inferential analysis (Pearson
correlation and Multiple regression) and presented in
tables and equation.
RESULTS
Relationship Between SA, SN, PBC, PB and the Intention
to Use Insecticide: Pearson correlation analysis was
conducted to identify the relationship between SA, SN,
PBC, PB and the farmers’ intention to use insecticide.
Results of the analysis are shown in Table 1. The analysis
showed a significant relationship between SA (r = 0.566),
SN (r = 0.458), PBC (r = 0.643), PB (r = 0.566) and
insecticide use intention.
Contribution of SA, SN, PBC, PB Towards the Intention
to Use Insecticide: Multiple regression analysis was
conducted to identify the contribution of SA, SN, PBC
and PB to insecticide use intention. The stepwise
regression analysis shows that PBC (F = 259.427, Sig
= 0.000), PB (F = 165.949 and sig = 0.000), SA (F = 128.158
and sig = 0.000) and NS (F = 98.477, Sig = 0.000) are
significant variance predictors of farmers’ intention to use
insecticides. Contribution by SA, NS, PBC and PB on the
intention to use insecticides was shown in Table 2.
Table 2 shows that PBC accounted for 41.3 %
(Beta = 0.264, t = 4,634, Sig = 0.000 and R2 = 0.413), PB
contributed 6.1 % (Beta = 0.298, t = 6.694, Sig = 0.000
and R2 = 0.453), SA accounted for 3.7 % (Beta = 0.233,
t = 4.833, Sig = 0.000 and R2 = 0.471) and NS contributed
0.7 % (Beta = 0.118, t = 2.261, Sig = 0.024 and R2 = 0.479).
The findings from the regression equation regression:
Y = – 0.100 + 0.347(xl) + 0.272(x2) + 0.276(x3) + 0.118(x4) +
0.184
Y - Intention to use insecticides
X1 - PBC
X2 - PB
X3 - SA
X4 - NS
Constant - 0.100
Standard Error - 0.184
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Table 1: Pearson correlation between SA, SN, PBC, PB and insecticide use
intention (All coefficents are significant at p <.05.)
Intention
----------------------------
Correlation r Sig. Interpretation
SA 0.566 0.000 High
SN 0.458 0.000 Medium
PBC 0.643 0.000 High
PB 0.574 0.000 High
DISCUSSION
This study aims to investigate the relationship
among several factors (SA, SN, PBC and PB) with
behavioural intention of using insecticides as
P. xylostella pest control management practiced by
cabbage farmers in Cameron Highlands. TPB and TAM
are used as the framework of this study.
The result shows that there are diversities of
correlation and regression coefficients for each construct
of SA, SN, PBC and PB in predicting intention behaviour
in this study. There was a significant relationship between
SA, SN, PBC and PB with the intention to use insecticide.
However, PBC is the most important predictor in
influencing behavioural intention compared to SA, SN
and PB in this study. This result is supporting the
findings of a study on the intention of farmers in
Netherlands to reduce insecticide use in Netherlands [16].
Based on this result, it is found that any improvement
efforts in solving the insecticide problem should be
focused on the PBC factors. PBC is the most important
antecedent of the intention to use insecticide because the
farmers are aware of their opportunities, skills or resources
to do so. In this study, the farmers are aware and believe
that insecticide can be easily purchased at the nearest
shops, know their ability to use insecticide and believe
that they have the equipment to do so. Researchers
recommend the Government to enforce stricter rules on
the insecticides use. This is to ensure that farmers cannot
simply buy and use pesticides indiscriminately. In
addition, it is recommended for the subsidies to be
provided only to farmers who practice sustainable
agricultural activities.
PB is the second largest contributor in predicting the
intention to use insecticide. Apart from that, this study
has proven that PB is also an important predictor in
influencing behavioural intention when compared to SA
and SN. This suggests that the PB factors should not be
ignored in the study of TPB.
 Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (6): 1095-1101, 2015
Table 2: Contribution of SA, NS, PB and PBC on the intention to use insecticide
Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients
-------------------------------------- ------------------------------
Variable B Standard Error Beta
PBC 0.347 0.075 0.264
PB 0.272 0.041 0.298
SA 0.276 0.057 0.233
NS 0.118 0.052 0.101
Constant -0.100 0.184
We also found that SA is accounted for 3.7%
and it is the third predictor compared to other variables.
This finding is in contrast with Bond et al. [17] who
reported that SN is the largest contributor as a predictor
of farmers’ intention to use insecticides. This finding
suggests the SA constructs which were built using the
technology acceptance model (TAM) in this study did
not cover a wider diversity in measuring farmers’
important attitudes and beliefs.
We also found that SN showed the lowest correlation
of coefficients and contributed only 0.7 %. Hence, it is the
lowest predictor on farmers’ intention to use insecticides
compared to other variables. This result is consistent with
studies of TPB meta-analysis which found SN is a poor
predictor of behavioural intention [18]. This shows that
social pressure from family, friends and other important
people have less significant impact on the farmers’
intention to use insecticides in Cameron Highlands.
However, a study in Laos found that SN is the best
predictor of intention in the study of farmers’ decision to
use insecticide as pest control management [19]. SN
influences seem to be more dominant in suggesting that
farmers’ perceptions of the expectation from referent
groups on them play an important role in farmers’ decision
in Laos. This finding may indicate that farmers in Laos
have collectivistic culture and their behaviours are
influenced by others. While farmers in Cameron
Highlands may be considered as more individualistic in
performing certain behaviours and they are less
influenced by others. This explains the farmers’ situation
in Laos, where the influence of SN construct is larger than
other constructs.
Regression analysis showed that research model can
predict 51.8 % of variance. There are other possibilities for
the remaining percentage of approximately 48.2 % was
contributed by other factors on the intention to use
insecticides that are not taken into account in this study
[20]. It is predicted that 51.8 % of the intention variance in
this study indicates that not all factors that influence the
farmers to use insecticides to control P. xylostella are
included in this study. However, these findings are
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T Sig. R2 Contribution
4.634 0.000 0.413 41.3%
6.694 0.000 0.453 6.1%
4.833 0.000 0.471 3.7%
2.261 0.024 0.479 0.7%
-0.541 0.589
consistent with reports from other studies that the
variance in behavioural intention is different. The
influence of intention variance has significantly
influenced the predictive ability of a model. The variance
can be less than 40%, approximately 50% and greater than
90% [21-23]. In addition, the meta-analysis of TPB studies
found that the variance in behavioural intentions
contributed between 27% and 39% or between 39% and
77% [24, 25] depending on the behaviour of individual or
population in the study. This difference may also due to
the measurement of intention predictors. This confirms
the importance of developing valid measurements for each
component of this theory.
CONCLUSION
This finding indicates that behavioural predictors of
intention vary depending on behaviour, individuals or
populations in the study. Therefore, studies on TPB
should be conducted to identify the most influential
factors on the intention to use insecticides. Findings of
the TPB studies would help the authorities to identify
other appropriate problem solving methods. In this study,
the strongest predictor of intention to use insecticide is
PBC. Therefore, strategic plans in research, policies,
extension and education related to insecticide use and
pest management in Cameron Highlands should focus
on PBC factors to ensure sustainable agricultural
activities.
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