Intention of agricultural professionals toward biofuels in Iran: Implications for energy security, society, and policy

This research applies the Health Beliefs Model (HBM) as a framework for understanding the intentions of agricultural professionals with respect to biofuels. We argue that it is essential to understand these intensions as agricultural professionals play critical role as educators, gatekeepers, and stakeholders in the agricultural domain. A face-to-face survey was undertaken in South Western Iran using a multi-stage, stratified random sample of agriculture professionals (n=288). The reliability and validity of the instruments were examined and approved. Structural equation modeling showed that general beliefs regarding fuels and biofuels, perceived benefits, perceived severity, self-efficacy, and cue to action are significant predictors of professionals' willingness to support biofuels. These variables can predict nearly 43% variance in professionals' willingness. The findings yield public policy implications for biofuel use and development support among professionals and provide preliminary support for the HBM as an effective framework for examining intention toward biofuels among agriculture professionals in Iran.