Identifying beliefs underlying successors' intention to take over the farm

The youth out-migration of rural areas, the ageing of farmer population and the lack of a successor within the farm family imply some drawbacks for rural development and for a more sustainable agriculture. This study used the reasoned action approach (RAA) to identify the beliefs underlying Brazilian successors' intention to take over the farm. The RAA hypothesizes that successors' intention to take over the farm is determined by three constructs: attitude, perceived norms and perceived behavioral control. These three constructs are derived from behavioral, normative and control beliefs. Results showed that the behavioral beliefs 'Satisfaction for taking care of family farm assets' and 'Ease for managing the farm' influence successors' evaluation (attitude) of taking over the farm. The normative beliefs 'Father' and 'Mother' influence successors' perceptions about the social pressure (perceived norms) to take over the farm. The control beliefs 'Ease to buy more land' and 'Professional recognition' influence successors' perceptions about their own capability (perceived behavioral control) to take over the farm. The identification of these beliefs revealed important implications for designing interventions to encourage successors to take over the farm.