The demand of soyabean is increasing since the boost in domestic poultry feed and edible oil consumption. As a result, Pakistan has witnessed its rising imports, putting pressure on the national economy. Therefore, its cultivation is prioritized for securing national food security and saving the economy. Soybean production has increasingly become a viable alternative crop in Pakistan, but its adoption among small-scale farmers is low. The semi-arid and sandy characteristics of Thal have the potential for soybean production. This was designed to explore the farmers’ perception regarding the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of soybean cultivation in the Thal region in Punjab Pakistan. Research revealed that farmers consider soyabean a potentially profitable crop than traditional crops however weak market systems dent its adoptability. Farmers have understanding of soybean as environmentally sustainable crop, soil fertility improvement (M=3.89, SD=1.03), but there are issues related to pest management. Access to markets (M=2.84, SD=1.25), credit (M=2.63, SD=1.21) and extension services (M=2.74, SD=1.20) were relatively weak. The major challenges in the adoption were lack of awareness (M=4.25, SD=0.76), access to quality seed (M=4.12, SD=0.81) and poor market infrastructure (M=4.05, SD=0.88). Chi-square results showed that education (0.18.92,0.05) and farm size (0.15.38,0.05) were significant determinants of farmers’ perception about soyabean sustainability. Education (β=0.24-0.27, P<0.01) and access to extension services (β=0.29-0.33, P<0.001) were the strongest predictors as confirmed by regression results. Positive correlations were obtained between economic, environmental and social dimensions (r=0.58 0.65, P<0.001). The results indicate that soybean has the potential but farmers require supportive policies aligned with extension services for upscaling its adoption.

Article Information

Received Date: 0000-00-00

Revised Date: 0000-00-00

Accepted Date: 0000-00-00

Available online: 0000-00-00

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KeyWords: Soybean cultivation, sustainability, small-scale farmers, Thal region, perceptions, Pakistan

DOI: -

*Corresponding author: alitahahussaini786@gmail.com

Copyright 2012 SASI