04475nas a2200385 a 4500 20260817171227.0 260514s20269999th u ms tm 000 eng d .b12502649 AIT Thesis no.NR-26-01 Nawan Wangkun Behavioral determinants of sugarcane farmers' adoption of pre-harvest non-burning practices : an integrated TPB-VBN framework in Saraburi, Thailand Pathum Thani : Asian Institute of Technology, 2026 133 leaves : ill.+e1 online resource Thesis ; no. NR-26-01 A thesis submitted in patial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Natural Resources Management Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2026 Although sustainable agriculture has received growing attention, existing literature has not determined whether sugarcane farmers{u2019} adoption of non-burning practices is psychologically rooted or structurally driven, a distinction critical for effective policy design. Moreover, TPB and VBN have rarely been integrated within contract farming contexts, where institutional conditions shape behavioral decisions. This study investigates the behavioral factors that influenced farmers{u2019} adoption of non-burning practices in Saraburi, Thailand. Three objectives guided the study: (1) to assess the level of key constructs from the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), including attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, and from the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory, including moral values and environmental beliefs; (2) to examine how these constructs influenced adoption behavior; and (3) to identify economic, social, and environmental barriers and enabling factors affecting farmers{u2019} adoption decisions.The study involved 200 sugarcane farmers registered with Saraburi Sugar Mill. Quantitative analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, Probit, Tobit, and Ordinal Logistic models, supported by qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 10 farmers. Results found that Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioral Control all significantly supported non burning intentions, while VBN findings confirmed that farmers recognized environmental consequences and expressed moral responsibility for sustainable practice, although this awareness did not serve as the primary driver of actual adoptions. Overall, 87.5% of farmers practiced non-burning harvesting, and 96.5% reported medium to high intentions to continue. Non-burning Experience consistently led to higher adoption rates, while Sugarcane Area showed a negative effect, reflecting coordination constraints on scale.Despite strong expressed intentions, qualitative interviews revealed that decision-making for all 10 farmers was mainly driven by economic survival and institutional pressure, rather than environmental concern. Theoretically, the study extends the TPB by showing that normative influence in contract farming systems is mediated by institutional mechanisms, rather than peer or family pressure, and that structural constraints mediate between environmental values and actual behavior. The findings suggest that policies should move beyond awareness campaigns to integrate economic incentives and institutional reforms such as environmental price premiums for fresh cane, expanded support for mechanized harvesting, and strengthened cooperative governance among farmers, sugar mills, and government agencies. Sugarcane Harvesting Thailand Sugarcane industry Thailand Sustainable agriculture Thailand Tsusaka, Takuji W., Chairperson Pichdara, Lonn, Examination Committee Yaseen, Muhammad, Examination Committee Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Thailand, Scholarship Donor AIT Scholarship, Scholarship Donor Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. NR-26-01 Full-Text http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B24133 .b12502649 mnarc a 260519 0 260518 m h a 0 mnarc 67 Barcode : - CREATED : 2026-05-14 RECORD # : i13599586 LPATRON : 0 LCHKIN : - # RENEWALS : 0 # OVERDUE : 0 IUSE3 : 0 TOT CHKOUT : 0 TOT RENEW : 0 11410 11410 0 0 0 0 MAIN MAIN mnarc 2026-08-17 0 AIT Thesis no.NR-26-01 2026-08-17 17:12:27 1 2026-08-17 67