Análisis de los Factores Conductuales que impulsan la Adopción de Prácticas Agroecológicas en Explotaciones de Olivar

The following doctoral thesis addresses the problem of how to generalise the agroecological transition in Mediterranean olive groves, choosing the Autonomous Community of Andalusia as a case study. Behavioural factors such as attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control were identified, as well as external drivers such as financing, economic compensation, and technical training, among others. Both factors and drivers influence olive growers' decisions and intentions to adopt agroecological practices. The overall objective is to analyse the behavioural factors that influence the adoption of agroecological practices in olive groves, expanded into four specific objectives: (O1) map the state of the art and knowledge gaps; (O2) evaluate agroecological practices with criteria of sustainability, profitability and technical feasibility; (O3) prioritize and relate the drivers of adoption through prospective analysis; and (O4) estimate an integrative model that combines the Technology Acceptance Model and the Theory of Planned Behaviour with external drivers to explain the intention to adopt agroecological practices. The research has the potential to contribute to public policies focused on reducing the barriers that arise when converting to organic farming, in line with the European Green Deal and the "Farm to Fork" strategy. The methodology is based on a sequential explanatory triangulation that proceeds from qualitative to quantitative, incorporating the systematic review of scientific literature, analysis of experiments using the Delphi method, an interpretive structural model, a cross-impact model classification, and Structural Equation Model. Among the main findings is that over the last five years, a content analysis of documents from the Web of Science database reveals an increase in scientific articles on agroecological adoption. Highlights include a focus on climate, biodiversity, soils, and the persistence of structural barriers such as supportive public policies. Based on a consensus of 26 experts, twelve agroecological practices were evaluated according to their economic impact, technical difficulty, and contribution to biodiversity, soil, climate, water, and ecosystem services criteria. This consensus identifies cover crops, pruning residues, and no tillage or minimal disturbance as the best practices for all evaluated criteria. Another finding reveals that technical training, economic incentives, access to financing, and integration or interaction among farmers act as drivers of the complex system of adoption of agroecological practices. Linking drivers include economic profitability, technological progress, and access to information. Dependent drivers include the availability of agroecological inputs and access to unconventional markets. This progression from driving drivers to high-dependency drivers provides a roadmap for formulating public policies with a multiplier effect on the adoption of agroecological practices. Finally, relationships such as attitude toward agroecology are identified as the variable that most influences adoption intention, with subjective norms and perceived control being influential, though to a lesser extent. Moreover, ease of use and perceived usefulness affect attitudes and, in turn, attitudes. Among the external drivers, it can be shown that technical training, alternative markets, new technologies, and access to information reduce the perceived complexity of adopting practices. Economic incentives and public policies strengthen perceived control, while access to financing and integration or interaction among farmers directly influence the intention to adopt agroecological practices.