How can Iranian farmers’ attitudes toward environmental conservation be influenced?

Abstract

Environmental attitudes can influence people decision making process towards environmental protection and it is an important factor to improve environmental behaviors. The current research aimed to determine effects of economic orientation, environmental awareness, environmental concern and ethical commitment on Iranian farmers’ attitude toward environment conservation. A survey of 400 farmers in Bahar County, in Hamedan Province, Iran, selected through a multistage stratified random sampling method. Data was gathered using a questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed by a panel of agricultural and environmental experts and calculated Cronbach's alpha (0.74 ≤ α ≤ 0.80), respectively. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the strength of relationship between the constructs and test the overall model fit. Results of the study showed that economic orientation positively influenced the farmers' attitude toward environment conservation. Also, environmental awareness, environmental ethical commitment and environmental concern had a significant and positive effect on farmers’ environmental attitude. It can be concluded that economic factors besides psychological and social factors are able to improve farmers’ attitude to conserve environment responsibly.

Keywords

• Environmental Conservation
• Farmers’ attitude
• Environmental awareness
• Environmental concern
• Ethical commitment