Using the theory of planned behavior to understand the intention of small farmers in diversifying their agricultural production Igor Senger a, * , Jo ~ ao Augusto Rossi Borges b , Jo ~ ao Armando Dessimon Machado c a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Linha 7 de Setembro, s/n, Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil b Faculdade de Administraç~ ao, Ci^ encias Cont abeis e Economia, Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Rodovia Dourados e Itahum, Km 12, Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil c Centro de Estudos e Pesquisas Econ^ omicas (IEPE), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Avenida Jo~ ao Pessoa, 31, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil article info Article history: Received 24 April 2016 Received in revised form 21 October 2016 Accepted 31 October 2016 Available online 24 November 2016 Keywords: Small farms Diversification Intention Agricultural production Theory of planned behavior abstract The academic and political debate about small farms and rural development has been extended recently. The diversification of agricultural production is important, because it contributes to rural development. The objective of this study was to identify which and how underlying psychological factors affect farmers' intention to diversify their agricultural production. To reach this objective, the theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used as a main framework. 101 farmers were interviewed in the northwest region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil, who have milk production as their main source of income. Results showed that farmers have a low intention to diversify their agricultural production. Results also showed that the three TPB constructs attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control are positively correlated with the intention. In addition, the results demonstrated the behavioral, normative and control beliefs that drive attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control, respectively. Results of this study can contribute to the development of strategies and public policies to enhance the diver- sification of agricultural production by small farmers, and therefore contribute to rural development. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The political and academic debate about small farms and rural development has been extended in the last years. Among the dis- cussed issues, diversification of agricultural and non-agricultural activities is important, as these activities can decrease poverty in the rural areas. Indeed, amongst the main discussions in the Eu- ropean Union about rural development policies, the diversification of agricultural production stands out as a major concern (Hansson et al., 2013). The diversification of agricultural production is important, as it contributes to rural development. Diversification may provide different sources of income and the consequent improvement of the household income. It can still protect the environment, because if farmers earn a higher income from different sources of agricultural production, they do not over exploit the soil; and finally, diversification of agricultural produc- tion provides safety against market oscillations (Ellis, 2000; Mahoney et al., 2004). As agricultural diversification is a strategy for subsistence of small farmers, it has been promoted by agrarian policies (Meert et al., 2005). In Brazil, there are around 4.5 million small farmers (IBGE, 2009). These small farmers play an important role on the produc- tion of Brazilian agricultural products. For instance, small dairy farmers are responsible for 58% of the total milk production in Brazil (Silva, 2015). However, small Brazilian farmers usually earn a low income. As a result, Brazilian government has developed pol- icies to increase the income of small farmers. One of the policies is to encourage farmers to diversify their production. Indeed, diver- sification is part of the Brazilian government agenda by the Na- tional Plan of Sustainable and Solidary Agricultural Development and by the Production and Income Diversification Actions in To- bacco Cultivated Areas in Brazil, both developed by the Agrarian Development Ministry (MDA). Thereby, a study in the northwest of Rio Grande do Sul Brazilian state, which shows the factors that affect the intention of small farmers to diversify their agricultural production can contribute to the efficiency of such policies. These * Corresponding author. Departamento de Tecnologia da Informaç~ ao, Uni- versidade Federal de Santa Maria Campus de Frederico Westphalen, Linha 7 de Setembro, s/n, Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. E-mail addresses: igorsenger@ufsm.br (I. Senger), joaoaugusto08@yahoo.com.br (J.A.R. Borges), joao.dessimon@ufrgs.br (J.A.D. Machado). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Rural Studies journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jrurstud http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2016.10.006 0743-0167/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Rural Studies 49 (2017) 32e40