Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Early Access

Development of a psychometric scale for measuring farmers' attitudes toward crop residue management practices

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.8769
Submitted
9 April 2025
Published
30-06-2025
Versions

Abstract

This research presents the Attitude Scale for Crop Residue Management (AS-CRM), a validated tool designed to measure farmers' psychological tendencies toward crop residue management practices. Addressing the pressing need for reliable instruments in agricultural sustainability research, the AS-CRM was developed using Likert’s summated rating scale method through a structured three-stage process: item generation, item selection and statistical validation. An initial pool of 70 statements was created through a literature review and expert consultations. Following expert evaluation, 45 items were selected and administered to 60 farmers in a non-sample area for item analysis. Based on t-test values (≥ 2.05), 20 items were retained for the final scale. The instrument demonstrated high reliability (Guttman Split-Half Coefficient = 0.947) and strong content validity confirmed by expert judgment. The final 20 item scale is scored on a five-point continuum ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Key findings highlighted positive attitudes in areas related to environmental awareness and soil health benefits, whereas scepticism remained around labour intensity and economic feasibility. The AS-CRM offers a robust framework for understanding farmer perceptions, facilitating the design of targeted behavioural interventions and policy measures. By providing a standardized assessment mechanism, it supports evidence-based decision making for promoting sustainable crop residue management practices and advancing climate-resilient agriculture.

References

  1. 1. Lal R. Restoring soil quality to mitigate soil degradation. Sustainability. 2015;7(5):5875-95. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7055875
  2. 2. Powlson DS, Gregory PJ, Whalley WR, Quinton JN, Hopkins DW, Whitmore AP, et al. Soil management in relation to sustainable agriculture and ecosystem services. Food Policy. 2011;36:S72-87.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.11.025
  3. 3. Bentsen NS, Felby C, Thorsen BJ. Agricultural residue production and potentials for energy and materials services. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science. 2014;40:59-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2013.09.003.
  4. 4. Blanco-Canqui H, Lal R. Crop residue removal impacts on soil productivity and environmental quality. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. 2009;28(3):139-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352680902776507
  5. 5. Erenstein O, Samaddar A, Teufel N, Blümmel M. The paradox of limited maize stover use in India's smallholder crop-livestock systems. Experimental Agriculture. 2011;47(04):677-704. DOI:10.1017/S0014479711000433
  6. 6. Hiloidhari M, Das D, Baruah DC. Bioenergy potential from crop residue biomass in India. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 2014;32:504-512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.01.025
  7. 7. Kumar N, Chaudhary A, Ahlawat OP, Naorem A, Upadhyay G, Chhokar RS, et al. Crop residue management challenges, opportunities and way forward for sustainable food-energy security in India: A review. Soil and Tillage Research. 2023;228:105641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105641
  8. 8. . Sidhu HS, Humphreys E, Dhillon SS, Blackwell J, Bector V. The Happy Seeder enables direct drilling of wheat into rice stubble. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture. 2007;47(7):844-54. https://doi.org/10.1071/EA06225
  9. 9. Singh R, Yadav DB, Ravisankar N, Yadav A, Singh H. Crop residue management in rice–wheat cropping system for resource conservation and environmental protection in north-western India. Environment, Development and Sustainability. 2020;22(5):3871-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00370-z
  10. 10. Kumar N, Chhokar RS, Meena RP, Kharub AS, Gill SC, Tripathi SC, et al. Challenges and opportunities in productivity and sustainability of rice cultivation system: A critical review in Indian perspective. Cereal Research Communications. 2021;1-29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42976-021-00214-5
  11. 11. Likert R. A technique for measurement of attitudes. New York;Columbia university; 1932
  12. 12. Edwards AL, Kilpatrick FP. A technique for the construction of attitude scales. Journal of applied psychology. 1948;32(4):374-84. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0057313
  13. 13. Edwards AL. Techniques of attitude scale construction.New York:Irvington publishers Inc; 1957. https://doi.org/10.1037/14423-000
  14. 14. Thurstone LL, Chave EJ. The measurement of attitudes. Chicago, III: University of Chicago Press; 1929. https://doi.org/10.1037/11574-007
  15. 15. Goode WJ, Hatt PK. Methods in social research. New York: McGraw Hill; 1952.
  16. 16. Kerlinger FN. Foundations of behavioural research. 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston; 1973.
  17. 17. Deepika M, Gopal PV, Reddy K, Sailaja V, Reddy GK, Kumari P. Development and standardisation of scale to measure attitude of the farmers towards natural farming: A sustainable environmental approach. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change. 2024;14(5):367-74. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2024/v14i54196

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.