The effects of farmers' place attachment and identity on water conservation moral norms and intention

Abstract

Investment in the behavioral change projects would not be possible without knowing their prerequisites and determinants including intention, moral norms, identity, and place attachment. Therefore, this study aimed at the determination of the effects of place attachment (PAT) (place dependence (PDE), place identity (PID), and place affect (PAF)) and farmers' identity (conservationist identity (CONID) and productivist identity (PROID)) on the moral norms of water conservation (MNWC) as well as the intention of water conservation (IWC) of the Iranian farmers. This was a descriptive-correlational and causal-relational study. The instrument of the study was a questionnaire completed using a cross-sectional survey and face-to-face interviews. Hence, a stratified random sampling method along with a proportionate allocation was used to select 380 farmers. The research findings indicated that the PAT (PDE, PID, and PAF) and CONID had significant positive effects on the MNWC. In addition, MNWC and CONID had significant positive effects on the IWC. However, PROID had a significant negative effect on the MNWC and IWC. In general, it was found that independent variables (PDE, PID, PAF, PROID, and CONID) could predict 39% and 53% of the variance of the MNWC and IWC variables, respectively. Moreover, the social-psychological framework of the study provides practitioners, decision-makers, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders of the agricultural water management with useful practical and theoretical insights about the practices of behavior changes and social interventions. Finally, it is recommended that government decision-makers should further focus on the increased attractiveness of the rural and agricultural areas to increase PAT, MNWC, and IWC.

Keywords: Farmers’ identity; Iran; Lake Urmia; Place attachment; Water conservation.