Exploratory factor analysis; Water resources; Wheat farmers’ behavior; Conservation strategies; Data collection; Independent variables; Sample sizes; Sampling method; Stratified sampling; Waters resources; Wheat farmers; Wheat farmer’ behavior; Wheat production; Geography, Planning and Development; Biochemistry; Aquatic Science; Water Science and Technology
Abstract :
[en] The present research aimed to identify and analyze the factors influencing water conservation behaviors (WCBs) and determine the most important ones. The research adopted a causal-relational method with a questionnaire compiled for data collection. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire based on the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha for different sections were between 0.71 and 0.95. The statistical population included 5473 wheat farmers in Bukan Township, Iran. Krejcie and Morgan tables were used to calculate the sample size of 357 people. All these farmers have key information about the effects of climate change (e.g., drought) and are pioneers in using adaptation and water conservation strategies in wheat production. In this study, the sample size was determined using stratified sampling method with proportional assignment. The questionnaire validity was approved by the validity expert board. According to the findings of the exploratory factor analysis, the most important factors influencing WCBs of wheat producers included “institu-tional”, “economic”, “natural”, “extensional”, “social”, “attitudinal”, and “self-identity” ones. These seven factors together accounted for 47.498% of the variance in WCBs of wheat producers. The relationship between independent variables and wheat growers’ WCBs was determined by Pearson correlation coefficients. According to the results, economic, institutional, natural, attitudi-nal, social, and self-identity factors had a significant relationship with WBC at 1% error level. The regression results also showed that among the studied variables, economic and extensional factors had the greatest impact on wheat growers’ WCBs. The results can help managers and planners determine policies that focus more on economic and extensional factors that have been neglected in previous studies.
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy
Author, co-author :
Momenpour, Yadgar; Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Choobchian, Shahla ; Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Sadighi, Hassan; Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, College of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Malos, Cristian-Valeriu; Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Viira, Ants-Hannes; Institute of Economics and Social Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
Kurban, Alishir ; Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China ; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China ; Sino-Belgian Joint Laboratory for Geo-Information, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Urumqi, China
Azadi, Hossein ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Modélisation et développement ; Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania ; Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, China ; Department of Geography, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ; Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Language :
English
Title :
Factors affecting wheat producers’ water conservation behavior: Evidence from iran
Acknowledgments: This research paper was partly funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDA20060303) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI grant No. 2021VCA0004).
Alqadi, M.; Al Dwairi, A.; Dehnavi, S.; Margane, A.; Al Raggad, M.; Al Wreikat, M.; Chiogna, G. A novel method to assess the impact of a government’s water strategy on research: A case study of Azraq Basin, Jordan. Water 2021, 13, 2138. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13152138.
Crites, R.; Beggs, R.; Leverenz, H. Perspective on land treatment and wastewater reuse for agriculture in the Western United States. Water 2021, 13, 1822. https://doi.org/10.3390/w13131822.
Torres-Bagur, M.; Ribas, A.; Vila-Subirós, J. Understanding the key factors that influence efficient water-saving practices among tourists: A mediterranean case study. Water 2020, 12, 2083. https://doi.org/10.3390/w12082083.
Yazdanpanah, M.; Hayati, D.; Hochrainer-Stigler, S.; Zamani, G.H. Understanding farmers’ intention and be-havior regarding water conservation in the Middle-East and North Africa: A case study in Iran. J. Environ. Manag. 2014, 135, 63–72.
Statistical Center of Iran. Statistical Yearbook 2013–2014. 2014. Available online: http://www.amar.org.ir/Por-tals/0Files/fulltext/1393/n_tsokkk_93-v3.pdf (Accessed on 29 April 2017).
Maleksaeidi, H.; Keshavarz, M. What influences farmers’ intentions to conserve on-farm biodiversity? An ap-plication of the theory of planned behavior in fars province, Iran. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 2019, 20, e00698.
Azadi, Y.; Yazdanpanah, M.; Mahmoudi, H. Understanding smallholder farmers’ adaptation behaviors through climate change beliefs, risk perception, trust, and psychological distance: Evidence from wheat growers in Iran. J. Environ. Manag. 2019, 250, 109456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109456.
Pakmehr, S.; Yazdanpanah, M.; Baradaran, M. Explaining farmers’ response to climate change-induced water stress through cognitive theory of stress: An Iranian perspective. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2021, 23, 5776–5793. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00846-3.
Mostafavi, H.; Kambouzia, J. Impact of climate change on the distribution of brown trout, Salmo trutta Linnaeus, 1758 (Teleostei: Salmonidae) using ensemble modelling approach in Iran. Iran. J. Ichthyol. 2019, 6, 73–81.
Mirnezami, S.J.; De Boer, C.; Bagheri, A. Groundwater governance and implementing the conservation policy: The case study of Rafsanjan Plain in Iran. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2020, 22, 8183–8210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-019-00488-0.
Vaghefi, S.A.; Keykhai, M.; Jahanbakhshi, F.; Sheikholeslami, J.; Ahmadi, A.; Yang, H.; Abbaspour, K.C. The future of extreme climate in Iran. Sci. Rep. 2019, 9, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-38071-8.
Ghalibaf, M.B.; Moussavi, Z. Development and environment in Urmia Lake of Iran. Eur. J. Sustain. Dev. 2014, 3, 219–219.
Rezaei, R.; Safa, L.; Ganjkhanloo, M.M. Understanding farmers’ ecological conservation behavior regarding the use of integrated pest management-an application of the technology acceptance model. Glob. Ecol. Conserv. 2020, 22, e00941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e00941.
Moghadam, M.T.; Raheli, H.; Zarifian, S.; Yazdanpanah, M. The power of the health belief model (HBM) to predict water de-mand management: A case study of farmers’ water conservation in Iran. J. Environ. Manag. 2020, 263, 110388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110388.
Zhang, Q.; Xiao, H.; Duan, M.; Zhang, X.; Yu, Z. Farmers’ attitudes towards the introduction of agri-environmental measures in agricultural infrastructure projects in China: Evidence from Beijing and Changsha. Land Use Policy 2015, 49, 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.07.021.
Fu, Y.; Wu, W.; Gao, J. Simulation and conservation of the end use water based on behaviour intervention mod-elling. Procedia Eng. 2015, 119, 761–770.
Dolnicar, S.; Hurlimann, A.; Grün, B. WCB in Australia. J. Environ. Manag. 2012, 105, 44–52.
Markle, G.L. Pro-environmental behavior: Does it matter how it’s measured? Development and validation of the pro-environ-mental behavior scale (PEBS). Hum. Ecol. 2013, 41, 905–914. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-013-9614-8.
Chen, X.; Peterson, M.N.; Hull, V.; Lu, C.; Hong, D.; Liu, J. How perceived exposure to environmental harm in-fluences environmental behavior in urban China. Ambio 2013, 42, 52–60.
Blok, V.; Wesselink, R.; Studynka, O.; Kemp, R. Encouraging sustainability in the workplace: A survey on the pro-environmental behaviour of university employees. J. Clean. Prod. 2015, 106, 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.07.063.
Despotović, J.; Rodić, V.; Caracciolo, F. Factors affecting farmers’ adoption of integrated pest management in Serbia: An application of the theory of planned behavior. J. Clean. Prod. 2019, 228, 1196–1205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.149.
Ge, J.; Sutherland, L.-A.; Polhill, J.G.; Matthews, K.; Miller, D.; Wardell-Johnson, D. Exploring factors affecting on-farm renew-able energy adoption in Scotland using large-scale microdata. Energy Policy 2017, 107, 548–560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.en-pol.2017.05.025.
Janmaimool, P.; Denpaiboon, C. Evaluating determinants of rural Villagers’ engagement in conservation and waste management behaviors based on integrated conceptual framework of Pro-environmental behavior. Life Sci. Soc. Policy 2016, 12, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40504-016-0045-3.
van Dijk, W.F.; Lokhorst, A.M.; Berendse, F.; de Snoo, G.R. Factors underlying farmers’ intentions to perform unsubsidised agri-environmental measures. Land Use Policy 2016, 59, 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.09.003.
Wang, P.; Liu, Q.; Qi, Y. Factors influencing sustainable consumption behaviors: A survey of the rural residents in China. J. Clean. Prod. 2014, 63, 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.05.007.
Noori, S.H.; Jamshidi, A.R.; Jamshidi, M.; Moghadam, Z.H.; Fathi, E. Survey on factors affecting the acceptance of soil conservation measures, a step towards sustainable agriculture; case study: Townsh. Shirvan Chardavol. Iran. J. Agric. Econ. Dev. Res. (IJAEDR) 2014, 45, 195–205.
Malawska, A.; Topping, C.J.; Nielsen, H. Ørsted Why do we need to integrate farmer decision making and wildlife models for policy evaluation? Land Use Policy 2014, 38, 732–740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2013.10.025.
Cauberghe, V.; Vazquez-Casaubon, E.; Van de Sompel, D. Perceptions of water as commodity or uniqueness? The role of water value, scarcity concern and moral obligation on conservation behavior. J. Environ. Manag. 2021, 292, 112677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112677.
Saby, L.; Nelson, J.D.; Band, L.E.; Goodall, J.L. Nonpoint source water quality trading outcomes: Land-scape-scale patterns and integration with watershed management priorities. J. Environ. Manag. 2021, 294, 112914.
Aprile, M.C.; Fiorillo, D. Water conservation behavior and environmental concerns: Evidence from a repre-sentative sample of Italian individuals. J. Clean. Prod. 2017, 159, 119–129.
Asfaw, D.; Neka, M. Factors affecting adoption of soil and water conservation practices: The case of Wereillu Woreda (District), South Wollo Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Int. Soil Water Conserv. Res. 2017, 5, 273–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2017.10.002.
Mohammadinezhad, S.; Ahmadvand, M. Modeling the internal processes of farmers’ water conflicts in arid and semi-arid re-gions: Extending the theory of planned behavior. J. Hydrol. 2020, 580, 124241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124241.
Rezaei, A.; Salmani, M.; Razaghi, F.; Keshavarz, M. An empirical analysis of effective factors on farmer’s adaptation behavior in water scarcity conditions in rural communities. Int. Soil Water Conserv. Res. 2017, 5, 265–272.
Yazdanpanah, M.; Feyzabad, F.R.; Forouzani, M.; Mohammadzadeh, S.; Burton, R.J. Predicting farmers’ water conservation goals and behavior in Iran: A test of social cognitive theory. Land Use Policy 2015, 47, 401–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.04.022.
Shiferaw, B.A.; Okello, J.; Reddy, R.V. Adoption and adaptation of natural resource management innovations in smallholder agriculture: Reflections on key lessons and best practices. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2009, 11, 601–619.
Gouldson, A.; Hills, P.; Welford, R. Ecological modernisation and policy learning in Hong Kong. Geoforum 2008, 39, 319–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2007.07.002.
Daloglu, I.; Nassauer, J.I.; Riolo, R.L.; Scavia, D. Development of a farmer typology of agricultural conservation behavior in the American Corn Belt. Agric. Syst. 2014, 129, 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2014.05.007.
Moshtagh, M.; Mohsenpour, M. Community viewpoints about water crisis, conservation and recycling: A case study in Tehran. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2019, 21, 2721–2731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-018-0158-3.
Momenpour, Y.; Sedighi, H.; Choobchian, S. Structural analysis role of educational-extension and psychological components on environmental behavior of wheat growers in west Azerbaijan province, Iran (case Study: Bukan Township). J. Agric. Ext. Educ. Res. 2017, 9, 27–39.
Liu, J.; Qu, H.; Huang, D.; Chen, G.; Yue, X.; Zhao, X.; Liang, Z. The role of social capital in encouraging residents’ pro-environ-mental behaviors in community-based ecotourism. Tour. Manag. 2014, 41, 190–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tour-man.2013.08.016.
Valizadeh, N.; Bijani, M.; Abbasi, E. Farmers active participation in water conservation: Insights from a survey among farmers in southern regions of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. J. Agric. Sci. Technol. 2018, 20, 895–910.
Dienes, C. Actions and intentions to pay for climate change mitigation: Environmental concern and the role of economic factors. Ecol. Econ. 2015, 109, 122–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.11.012.
Krejcie, R.V.; Morgan, D.W. Determining sample size for research activities. Educ. Psychol. Meas. 1970, 30, 607–610.
Étoré, P.; Jourdain, B. Adaptive optimal allocation in stratified sampling methods. Methodol. Comput. Appl. Probab. 2010, 12, 335– 360. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11009-008-9108-0.
Nejadrahim, R.; Sahranavard, M.; Aminizadeh, A.; Delirrad, M. Snake envenomation in North-West Iran: A three-year clinical study. Int. J. Med Toxicol. Forensic Med. 2019, 9, 31–38.
Samuels, P. Advice on Exploratory Factor Analysis, Technical Report 2017; Birmingham City Business School. Research Gate: Bir-mingham, United Kingdom; 9 June 2017.
Liao, P.-Y. Optimal pricing strategy for queuing systems with capacity constraint problem. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing (IIH-MSP 2007), Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 26–28 November 2007; pp. 561–564.
Jha, S.; Kaechele, H.; Sieber, S. Factors influencing the adoption of water conservation technologies by small-holder farmer households in Tanzania. Water 2019, 11, 2640.
Michel, D. Iran’s impending water crisis. In Water, Security and US Foreign Policy; Routledge: Oxfordshire, UK. 21 March 2017; pp. 168.
Zhou, Z.; Liu, J.; Zeng, H.; Zhang, T.; Chen, X. How does soil pollution risk perception affect farmers’ pro-environmental be-havior? The role of income level. J. Environ. Manag. 2020, 270, 110806. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110806.
Darkwah, K.A.; Kwawu, J.D.; Agyire-Tettey, F.; Sarpong, D.B. Assessment of the determinants that influence the adoption of sustainable soil and water conservation practices in Techiman Municipality of Ghana. Int. Soil Water Conserv. Res. 2019, 7, 248– 257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2019.04.003.
Xie, Y.; Eftelioglu, E.; Ali, R.Y.; Tang, X.; Li, Y.; Doshi, R.; Shekhar, S. Transdisciplinary foundations of geospatial data science. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2017, 6, 395. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi6120395.
Girija, P.; Bellotti, B. Farmers value on-farm ecosystem services as important, but what are the impediments to participation in PES schemes? Sci. Total. Environ. 2015, 515, 12–19.
Asah, S.T.; Guerry, A.D.; Blahna, D.J.; Lawler, J.J. Perception, acquisition and use of ecosystem services: Human behavior, and ecosystem management and policy implications. Ecosyst. Serv. 2014, 10, 180–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2014.08.003.