The Community Acceptance of Vertical Farming Using Hydroponic System in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Abstract

Abstract : Environmental deterioration, food security, and population expansion are the most critical challenges faced by humanity. One potential remedy for these pressing challenges is vertical farming (VF). In particular, VF is a type of indoor urban farming in which crops are grown in vertically stacked layers, on sloping surfaces, or in high-rise structures. Food security is a major priority for Bahraini officials. According to the 4th Derasat Forum, natural agronomical limitations, such as desert climate, groundwater shortages, and the utilization of agricultural land for urban development, result in low agricultural production. However, this study aimed to understand the key factors influencing community acceptance (CA) of VF using hydroponic systems (HS) in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out during the period from September to October 2023. The survey was conducted online using Google Forms and was distributed through social media platforms. A total of 404 individuals responded to the survey, while 11 participated in the interviews. All interviews were conducted via online video calls on platforms like Microsoft Teams or Zoom from September to November 2023. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the research data using IBM SPSS (version 25), and Cronbach's Alpha was used to assess the internal consistency and reliability of the survey for the five dimensions (44 items). The responses were summarized numerically using central tendency and statistical dispersion measures. Additionally, the frequency and percentage of the data were presented in graphical form to display, analyze, clarify, and interpret the results visually. In addition, descriptive statistics were conducted using IBM SPSS AMOS (Version 29). Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test the effects of benefits, concerns, beliefs, and location on CA for VF among the population of The Kingdom of Bahrain, to explore the effects of demographic variables on the CA. While benefits had a standardized weight of (B-.12 with p