The Influence Factors of Farmers' Adaptive Behavior in Kermanshah Province Under Water Scarcity Conditions: The Role of Risk Perception and Self-efficacy in the Theory of Planned Behavior

جغرافیا و مخاطرات محیطی

Article 13, Volume 13, Issue 2 - Serial Number 50, June 2024, Pages 292-315   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/geoeh.2023.81661.1347

Authors

Yousof Azadi¹; Jafar Yaghoubi^{* 2}; Heydar Gholizadeh³; Saeed Gholamrezai⁴; Fatemeh Rahimi-Feyzabad⁵

¹PhD graguate in Agricultural Development, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

²Professor in Agricultural Extension and Education, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

³Associate in Agricultural Economics, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

⁴Associate in Agricultural Extension and Education, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

⁵Assistant in Agricultural Extension, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran

Abstract

Water scarcity is one of the risks of the agricultural sector, especially in arid and semi-arid regions, and it is predicted that its situation will worsen in the future. To minimize the consequences and effects of water scarcity on the agricultural sector, water-scarce countries such as Iran must adopt effective adaptation strategies to manage water resources to reduce risk. This requires investigating the influencing factors on the behavior and adaptation intention of actors in the agricultural sector. Therefore, the present research was conducted to identify factors influencing the behavior of water scarcity adaptation among farmers in Kermanshah province by using the extended theory of planned behavior and adding two variables of risk perception and self-efficacy to the theory. The statistical population of this research was 32,753 irrigated wheat farmers of Kermanshah province, and a sample of 380 of them were selected for the research using the multi-stage cluster sampling method with the proportional assignment and based on the Krejcie and Morgan table. Data collection in this research was done through a researcher-made questionnaire. To check the validity of the research tool, face, and construct validity were used. Also, the reliability of the research tool was confirmed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.848-0.895) and composite reliability for the research variables. The results showed that the three main constructs of the theory of planned behavior including attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control had a positive and significant effect on intention. The perceived behavioral control affected adaptive behavior. Also, in the theory of planned behavior, 56% of the variance of intention and 53% of the variance of adaptation behavior were explained, and by adding the risk perception and self-efficacy to the theory, the explanation percentage of behavioral intention and adaptive behavior increased to 58 and 62%, respectively.

Keywords

Water scarcity; Adaptive behavior; Theory of planned behavior; Risk perception; Self-efficacy; Adaptation strategies

References

• Abid, M., Scheffran, J., Schneider, U.A., & Ashfaq, M. (2015). Farmers’ Perceptions of and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change and Their Determinants: The Case of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Earth System Dynamics, 6(1), 225–243. https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-6-225-2015
• Ahmmadi, P., Rahimian, M., & Movahed, R.G. (2021). Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Consumer Behavior in Using Products Irrigated with Purified Wastewater in Iran Consumer. Journal of Cleaner Production, 296, 126359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126359
• Ajzen, I. (1985). From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior. In: Kuhl, J., Beckmann, J. (eds) Action Control. SSSP Springer Series in Social Psychology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69746-3_2
• Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
• Arunrat, N., Wang, C., Pumijumnong, N., Sereenonchai, S., & Cai, W. (2017). Farmers’ Intention and Decision to Adapt to Climate Change: A Case Study in the Yom and Nan Basins, Phichit province of Thailand. Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 672–685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.058
• Azadi, Y., Yazdanpanah, M., Forouzani, M., & Mahmoudi, H. (2018). Investigating the Factors Affecting the Risk Perception of Exposure to Climate Change: A Case Study of Wheat Farmers in Kermanshah. Journal of Geography and Environmental Hazards, 7(3), 121-134. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22067/geo.v0i0.71853
• Azadi, Y., Yazdanpanah, M., Forouzani, M., & Mahmoudi, H. (2019). Farmers’ Adaptation Choices to Climate Change: A Case Study of Wheat Growers in Western Iran. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 10(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.2166/wcc.2018.242
• Azadi, Y., Yazdanpanah, M., & Mahmoudi, H. (2019). Understanding Smallholder Farmers’ Adaptation Behaviors Through Climate Change Beliefs, Risk Perception, Trust, and Psychological Distance: Evidence from Wheat Growers in Iran. Journal of Environmental Management, 250, 109456. https://doi.org/1016/j.jenvman.2019.109456
• Binaiyan, A., Agahi, H., Fatemi, E. (2018). Assessment of Social Security of Water in the Villages of Kermanshah. Agricultural Promotion & Education researches, 11(2), 50-65. [In Persian] https://journals.srbiau.ac.ir/article_12714.html?lang=en
• Burnham, M., & Ma, Z. (2017). Climate Change Adaptation: Factors Influencing Chinese Smallholder Farmers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy and Adaptation Intent. Regional Environmental Change, 17(1), 171–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-016-0975-6
• Byrne, B.M. (2016). Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS (3rd Editio). London, Routledge.
• Callejas Moncaleano, D.C., Pande, S., & Rietveld, L. (2021). Water Use Efficiency: A Review of Contextual and Behavioral Factors. Frontiers in Water, 3, 91. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2021.685650
• Castillo, G. M.L., Engler, A., & Wollni, M. (2021). Planned Behavior and Social Capital: Understanding Farmers’ Behavior Toward Pressurized Irrigation Technologies. Agricultural Water Management, 243, 106524. https://doi.org/1016/j.agwat.2020.106524
• Chang, M.Y., Kuo, H.Y., & Chen, H.S. (2022). Perception of Climate Change and Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intentions of Forest Recreation Area Users—A Case of Taiwan. Forests, 13(9), 1476. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13091476
• Chebil, A., Frija, A., Makhlouf, M., Thabet, C., & Jebari, S. (2019). Effects of Water Scarcity on the Performances of the Agricultural Sector and Adaptation Strategies in Tunisi In Agricultural Economics.https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83568
• Chikwanha, O.C., Mupfiga, S., Olagbegi, B.R., Katiyatiya, C.L.F., Molotsi, A.H., Abiodun, B.J., Dzama, K., & Mapiye, C. (2021). Impact of Water Scarcity on Dryland Sheep Meat Production and Quality: Key Recovery and Resilience Strategies. Journal of Arid Environments, 190, 104511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104511
• Collier, J.E. )2020(. Applied Structural Equation Modeling Using AMOS: Basic to Advanced Techniques (1st Editio). London: Routledge.
• Faisal, M., Chunping, X., Akhtar, S., Raza, M.H., Khan, M.T.I., & Ajmal, M.A. (2020). Modeling Smallholder Livestock Herders’ Intentions to Adopt Climate Smart Practices: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(31), 39105–39122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09652-w

• Fatahi, S., Vahedi, M., Arayesh, M. bagher, & Samani, R.E. (2021). Assessing Social Dimension of Water Security in Villages of Harsin County in the Semi-Ar Agricultural Rgion of Kermanshah in West of Iran. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 7(2), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-020-00482-9
• Fathollahi, J., Najafi, S.M.B., & Farhangian, S. (2022). Identification and Prioritization of Factors Affecting Water Scarcity in Kermanshah Province with Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Journal of Water and Sustainable Development, 8(4), 33-42. [In Persian] https://doi.org/10.22067/jwsd.v8i4.2108.1073
• Gardezi, M., & Arbuckle, J.G. (2020). Techno-Optimism and Farmers’ Attitudes Toward Climate Change Adaptation. Environment and Behavior, 52(1), 82–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518793482
• Gebrehiwot, T., & Van der Veen, A. (2015). Farmers Prone to Drought Risk: Why Some Farmers Undertake Farm-Level Risk-Reduction Measures While Others Not? Environmental Management, 55(3), 588–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-014-0415-7
• Grothmann, T., & Patt, A. (2005). Adaptive Capacity and Human Cognition: The Process of Individual Adaptation to Climate Change. Global Environmental Change, 15(3), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2005.01.002
• Hair, J.F., Anderson, R.E., Babin, B.J., & Black, W.C. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis: A Global Perspective (Vol. 7). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2443696
• Hair, J.F., Babin, B.J., Anderson, R.E., & Black, W.C. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis (8th Editio). Cengage Learning. https://www.cengage.com/c/multivariate-data-analysis-8e-hair-babin-anderson-black/9781473756540/
• Herr, D. (2018). Drop by Drop: Scarcity as the Severance Between Intentions to Save Water and Actual Water-Saving. https://www.humanities.uct.ac.za/media/252841
• Jacob, J., Valois, P., & Tessier, M. (2021). Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict the Adoption of Heat and Flood Adaptation Behaviors by Municipal Authorities in the Province of Quebec, Canada. Sustainability, 13(5), 2420. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052420
• Jellason, N., Baines, R., Conway, J., & Ogbaga, C. (2019). Climate Change Perceptions and Attitudes to Smallholder Adaptation in Northwestern Nigerian Drylands. Social Sciences, 8(2), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8020031
• Kaiser, F.G., & Scheuthle, H. (2003). Two Challenges to a Moral Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior: Moral Norms and Just World Beliefs in Conservationism. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(5), 1033–1048. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00316-1
• Kakar, Z. (2017). Farmers Perceptions on Impact of Water Scarcity in Pishin Lora Basin of Balochistan. Pure and Applied Biology, 6(1), 293–303. http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2017.60027
• Kakar, Z., Shah, S.M., & Khan, M.A. (2018). Scarcity of Water Resources in Rural Area of Quetta District: Challenges and Preparedness. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 414(1), 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/414/1/012013
• Khanian, M., Serpoush, B., & Gheitarani, N. (2019). Balance Between Place Attachment and Migration Based on Subjective Adaptive Capacity in Response to Climate Change: The Case of Famenin County in Western Iran. Climate and Development, 11(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2017.1374238
• Krejcie, R.V., & Morgan, D.W. (1970). Determining Sample Size for Research Activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
• Lin, S.P. (2013). The Gap Between Global Issues and Personal Behaviors: Pro-Environmental Behaviors of Citizens Toward Climate Change in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 18(6), 773–783. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-012-9387-1
• Linder, J., & Campbell-Arvai, V. (2021). Uncertainty in the “New Normal”: Understanding the Role of Climate Change Beliefs and Risk Perceptions in Michigan Tree Fruit Growers’ Adaptation Behaviors. Weather, Climate, and Society, 13(3), 409–422. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0058.1
• Lynne, G.D., Casey, C.F., Hodges, A., & Rahmani, M. (1995). Conservation Technology Adoption Decisions and the Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Economic Psychology, 16(4), 581–598. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(95)00031-6
• Mahdavi, T. (2021). Application of the ‘Theory of Planned Behavior’ to Understand Farmers’ Intentions to Accept Water Policy Options Using Structural Equation Modeling. Water Supply, 21(6), 2720–2734. https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2021.138
• Management and Planning Organization of Kermanshah Province 2019. Statistical Yearbook of Kermanshah Province. Available at https://kermanshah.mporg.ir [In Persian]
• Mancosu, N., Snyder, R., Kyriakakis, G., & Spano, D. (2015). Water Scarcity and Future Challenges for Food Production. Water, 7(12), 975–992. https://doi.org/10.3390/w7030975
• Masud, M. M., Al-Amin, A. Q., Junsheng, H., Ahmed, F., Yahaya, S.R., Akhtar, R., & Banna, H. (2016). Climate Change Issue and Theory of Planned Behaviour: Relationship by Empirical Evidence. Journal of Cleaner Production, 113, 613–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.11.080
• Mitter, H., Larcher, M., Schönhart, M., Stöttinger, M., & Schmid, E. (2019). Exploring Farmers’ Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptation Intentions: Empirical Evidence from Austria. Environmental Management, 63(6), 804–821. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01158-7
• Musse, S. A. (2021). Exploring the Cornerstone Factors that Cause Water Scarcity in Some Parts of Africa, Possible Adaptation Strategies and Quest for Food Security. Agricultural Sciences, 12(06), 700–712. https://doi.org/10.4236/as.2021.126045
• Ng, S. L. (2022). Effects of Risk Perception on Disaster Preparedness Toward Typhoons: An Application of the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 13(1), 100–113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13753-022-00398-2
• Niles, M. T., Brown, M., & Dynes, R. (2016). Farmer’s Intended and Actual Adoption of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies. Climatic Change, 135(2), 277–295. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1558-0
• Nisengwe, J.F.R., (2016). Risk perceptions, attitudes, and climate change adaptation behaviors: A case of farmers in Nyabihu District, Rwanda. Michigan State University. https://d.lib.msu.edu/etd/4195
• O'Connor, R. E., Bard, R. J., & Fisher, A. (1999). Risk Perceptions, General Environmental Beliefs, and Willingness to Address Climate Change. Risk analysis, 19(3), 461-471. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007004813446
• Provenzano, A. )2015(. Adapting to Water Scarcity: Effects of Irrigation Management. University of North Florida. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/582/
• Rahimi Faizabadi, F., Yazdanpanah, M., Forouzani, M., Mohammad Zadeh, S., & Burton, R. (2017). Explanation of Farmers' Water Conservation Behaviors Using Extended Planned Behavior Theory: The Case of Farmers in Aleshtar County. Iranian Agricultural Extension and Education Journal, 12(2), 1-17. [In Persian] https://dorl.net/dor/20.1001.1.20081758.1395.12.2.1.4

• Roesch-McNally, G.E., Gordon Arbuckle, J., & Tyndall, J.C. (2017). What Would Farmers Do? Adaptation Intentions under a Corn Belt Climate Change Scenario. Agriculture and Human Values, 34(2), 333–346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-016-9719-y
• Russell, S. V, & Knoeri, C. (2020). Exploring the Psychosocial and Behavioural Determinants of Household Water Conservation and Intention. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 36(6), 940–955. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2019.1638230
• Scheierling, S.M., & Treguer, D.O. (2016). Investing in Adaptation: The Challenge of Responding to Water Scarcity in Irrigated Agriculture. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economic Review. Special Issue on Agriculture’s Water Economy, 75–100. https://www.kansascityfed.org/documents/772/Investing_in_Adaptation_The_Challenge_of_Responding_to_Water_Scarcity_in_Irrigated_Agr.pdf
• Singh, C., Osbahr, H., & Dorward, P. (2018). The Implications of Rural Perceptions of Water Scarcity on Differential Adaptation Behaviour in Rajasthan, India. Regional Environmental Change, 18(8), 2417–2432. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1358-y
• Teo, T., Tsai, L.T., Yang, CC. (2013). Applying Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in Educational Research. In: Khine, M.S. (eds) Application of Structural Equation Modeling in Educational Research and Practice. Contemporary Approaches to Research in Learning Innovations. SensePublishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-332-4_1
• Tiet, T., To-The, N., & Nguyen-Anh, T. (2022). Farmers’ Behaviors and Attitudes Toward Climate Change Adaptation: Evidence from Vietnamese Smallholder Farmers. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 24(12), 14235–14260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-02030-7
• Usman, M., Ali, A., Bashir, M.K., Baig, S.A., Mushtaq, K., Abbas, A., Akram, R., & Iqbal, M.S. (2023). Modelling Wellbeing of Farmers by Using Nexus of Climate Change Risk Perception, Adaptation Strategies, and their Drivers on Irrigation Water in Pakistan. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 49930–49947. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25883-z
• van Valkengoed, A. M., & Steg, L. (2019). Meta-Analyses of Factors Motivating Climate Change Adaptation Behaviour. Nature Climate Change, 9(2), 158–163. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0371-y
• Wens, M.L.K., Mwangi, M.N., Van Loon, A.F., & Aerts, J.C.J.H. (2021). Complexities of Drought Adaptive Behaviour: Linking Theory to Data on Smallholder Farmer Adaptation Decisions. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 63, 102435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102435              
• Wheeler, S., Zuo, A., & Bjornlund, H. (2013). Farmers’ Climate Change Beliefs and Adaptation Strategies for a Water Scarce Future in Australia. Global Environmental Change, 23(2), 537–547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.11.008
• Zhang, L., Ruiz-Menjivar, J., Luo, B., Liang, Z., & Swisher, M.E. (2020). Predicting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Behaviors in Agricultural Production: A Comparison of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Value-Belief-Norm Theory. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 68, 101408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101408