What affects farmers' intention to learn about sustainability in online settings? An application of the extended theory of planned behaviour in Slovenia

The study uses the extended Theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to explore farmers' participation in knowledge transfer activities and the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) based agricultural advisory services. Results based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and survey data of 4742 farmers who attended agri-environmental, organic farming or animal welfare training in Slovenia show that perceived behaviour control and attitudes were the most important factors influencing their intention to participate in future training. Satisfaction with the training, which was affected by the training content, design, and quality of the lecturer, had a further positive effect on the intention. We found that farmers who attended online sessions were less satisfied with the training than those participating in-person. Finally, online training was more likely attended by farmers who found it challenging to attend in-person due to lack of transportation options or time, and who had sufficient ICT knowledge, equipment and internet connection. Online sessions were also more often attended by older, female and part-time farmers. Our results emphasise the crucial role of offering advisory services adapted to the farmers' needs and preferences, as their satisfaction influences their attendance in training programs, which are often voluntary. Furthermore, the training design and implementation should take into account the needs of different groups of farmers, as the ICT-based advisory services may still not be evenly accessible to all farmers.