Farmers’ attitude and intention towards medicinal plants cultivation: experiences from semi-arid areas of Iran

The livelihoods of a considerable portion of the population in arid and semi-arid regions, particularly in rural communities, depends on small-scale agriculture. Despite the growing global demand for medicinal plants (MPs), little is known about the behavioral mechanisms influencing farmers' adoption decisions in challenging environments like Iran. This study fills this gap by extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine farmers' adoption behavior of MPs cultivation, incorporating contextual challenges as external factors. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 139 randomly selected farmers and all 25 pre-identified experts with specialized knowledge and field experience in medicinal plants in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the relationships between challenges, perceived ease of use, usefulness, and adoption behavior. The results revealed that while farmers had a positive attitude toward MPs' usefulness (mean score: 3.18/5), adoption was hindered by low perceived ease of cultivation (mean: 1.77/5). Key challenges included high production costs (ranked 1st by CV = 0.332), lack of marketing infrastructure (CV = 0.333), and technical skill gaps. Crucially, farmers’ intentions were influenced more by perceived ease (β = 0.520) than usefulness (β = 0.185), contrasting with classic TAM predictions. This highlights a disconnect between economic potential and practical feasibility in resource-scarce settings. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating the dominance of ease-of-use over usefulness in agricultural technology adoption among low-literacy farmers; quantifying the mediating role of infrastructural and technical barriers on behavioral intentions; and providing actionable insights for policymakers to prioritize skill development and value-chain investments over purely economic incentives.