Influence paths on farmers’ willingness to adopt green agricultural production based on a multigroup structural equation model

Implementing green agricultural production improves the quality of agricultural products and the environment. Farmers have a crucial role in developing green agriculture. However, our understanding remains limited of the differences in the willingness to adopt green agricultural production among different groups. This study integrates the theory of planned behavior and perceived value theory to establish a framework to evaluate the influence path of farmers’ willingness to adopt green agricultural production. The structural equation model is used to verify the dominant paths and assess the moderating effects of the demographic variables of multiple groups. The results indicate that: (1) Behavioral attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and benefit perception positively and significantly impact farmers’ willingness to adopt green agricultural production. Risk perception has a negative and significant impact. Benefit perception has a positive and significant influence, and risk perception has a negative and significant effect on farmers’ behavioral attitudes. (2) The largest effects include the direct effect of behavioral attitude and the indirect of risk perception on farmers’ adoption willingness and the direct, and total effects of risk perception on farmers’ behavioral attitudes. (3) Significant differences occur in the effects of moderating variables, such as gender, age, education level, and planting area, between different groups.