Framing behaviour change for sustainable agriculture: Themes, approaches, and future directions

Abstract

Despite the growing demand for behaviour change research and the benefit of understanding how human behaviour influences use cases and the adoption of agricultural innovations, research on how behaviour change occurs and the state of knowledge in the field remains scarce. To address this concern, this study conducted a systematic literature review of behaviour change in sustainable agriculture between 2015 and 2024. Our search identified 568 studies. After careful evaluation, 74 primary studies were selected and analysed to synthesize key themes relevant to our research objectives. Findings point to four promising approaches (innovative, empowerment, historical and knowledge co-creation, and structural and systemic) that can effectively address the complex challenges and promote sustainability in behaviour change agriculture. By emphasizing long-term solutions and empowering farmers to make informed decisions, these approaches contribute to improved environmental health, increased farm economic profitability, and enhanced social equity and well-being for farmers. Further, we found socio-economic factors and environmental conditions as two key determinants that affect the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. Thus, adoption of sustainable practices is influenced by a combination of factors, rather than any single variable behaviour and the implication of these factors can vary significantly across different regions and cultural contexts. Our analysis makes important contributions, namely, (i) defining behaviour change in sustainable agriculture, (ii) approaches on how behaviour change can occur, and (iii) model development on sustainable agriculture behaviour change. The study provides practical implications for government agencies, agricultural extension services, research institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify specific behaviours that contribute to food insecurity and unsustainable agriculture practices. Such knowledge can help the creation of targeted interventions that address the root causes of these problems. • The main problem in behaviour change research lies in our conceptualisation of the processes by which behaviour change (BC) occurs in the agricultural sector. • In all, we found 4 themes, 11 new sub-themes classification and 4 new classification approaches to how behaviour occurs. • The four (4) new classification approaches to how behaviour occurs include i) innovative approach ii) historical and knowledge co-creation approach iii) empowerment approach and iv) structural and systemic approach. • Conceptualising BC involve identifying agricultural-oriented behaviour, understanding determinants, selecting level of analysis and employing effective intervention strategies. • Ethical research is fundamental to building trust and ensuring the integrity of behaviour change interventions in agriculture.