Do behavioral attitudes of livestock farmers in Cameroon influence the adoption of insect-based feed? An application of the theory of planned behavior

This study investigates the effects of behavioral factors on the adoption of insect-based feed technology among livestock farmers in Cameroon. We use partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze primary data collected from 131 poultry and fish farmers in the Centre region of Cameroon. Our findings reveal that 18.32 % of the surveyed farmers are users of insect-based feed, whereas 81.68 % are non-users. We also show that livestock farmers’ attitudes directly influence the decision to use insect-based feed. Our findings suggest that perceived behavior control and subjective norms indirectly reinforce the decision to use insect-based feed-through attitudes. This research provides valuable insights into the role of behavioral factors in shaping technology adoption decisions in the livestock sector, implying that interventions intended to increase the uptake of insect-based feed in the livestock sector should consider farmers’ attitudes as leverage points.