Data on smallholder farmers' behavioural intention to adopt Vetiver System Technology through a TAM-PMT integration framework
Description
Vetiver System Technology is a nature-based solution for soil and water conservation that uses vetiver grass to stabilize slopes, reduce soil erosion, and enhance water retention. Despite its proven effectiveness, adoption among smallholder farmers in tropical and subtropical regions remains inconsistent. Adoption decisions are shaped by the interaction of perceived environmental risks, perceived benefits and effort associated with the technology, and farmer socio-demographic characteristics. This work is grounded in an integrated framework combining the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), which explain both usability-driven and risk-driven determinants of technology adoption. TAM highlights perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as key drivers of acceptance, while PMT explains protective behavior through threat appraisal (perceived severity and vulnerability) and coping appraisal (self-efficacy, response efficacy, and response cost). This integration provides a comprehensive basis for analyzing agricultural conservation technologies where risk perception and technology evaluation interact. The data were generated through a cross-sectional survey of 561 smallholder farmers from upland barangays in Cebu Province, Philippines. A structured 40-item questionnaire, adapted from validated TAM and PMT instruments, measured eight constructs: perceived severity (PS), perceived vulnerability (PV), self-efficacy (SE), response efficacy (RE), response cost (RC), perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and behavioral intention (BI), using a 5-point Likert scale. The instrument was translated into Bisaya, validated, and pilot-tested prior to implementation. The collection also includes demographic variables such as location, age, gender, education, farming experience, land ownership, area type, and income. Information was gathered through face-to-face interviews and online surveys using convenience sampling. The structure supports structural equation modeling analysis, enabling assessment of reliability and validity using indicators such as factor loadings, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, and average variance extracted. These data provide an empirical basis for examining sustainable agricultural technology adoption in erosion-prone environments. They can be reused for comparative studies, validation of TAM–PMT models, and the development of interventions such as training programs and awareness campaigns to promote Vetiver System Technology and similar nature-based solutions.