The role of time perspective in predicting Iranian farmers’ participatory-based water conservation attitude and behavior

ABSTRACT

In current perspective, farmers’ participatory behavior toward conservation of water resources (FPBCWR) is one of the most important strategies under water resource management in rural Iran. In this regard, understanding the predictors of farmers’ participatory-based water conservation behaviors and attitudes is gaining more importance than earlier. Among different dimensions of farmers’ participatory behavior, the potential of temporal frames was examined rarely. Thus, 322 Iranian farmers were investigated to examine the potential of their time perspectives in predicting their participatory-based water conservation behavior and attitude. According to the study results, the effects of present orientation on attitude and behavior were negatively significant, while the effects of future orientation on attitude and behavior were positively significant, whereas its effects (path coefficients) were stronger than present orientation effects. Past orientation did not have a significant effect on attitude, though attitude positively and significantly affected farmers’ participatory behavior. The results of causal analysis revealed that presented model accounted for 58% of variance in farmers’ ‘behavior’ and 42% of variance in “attitude.” In conclusion, a few demonstrable illustrations of policy implications are presented to enable utilizing the important findings and concluding results of this study that is linked further with water resource management domain.

KEYWORDS:

• Participatory behavior
• attitude
• time perspective
• water conservation
• causal analysis
• Iran

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the support of the esteemed Educational Institution—Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Iran, because this study would not have come to fruition without of their technical support In addition to that we would also like to acknowledge the cordial and effective participation and support of the community and research participants in data collection and information dissemination process). The extended cooperation of these groups has enabled us to successfully complete this undertaken research properly.

Notes

1. East Azerbaijan province is located in Iranian Azerbaijan, bordering with Ardabil, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan provinces, and Armenia and Republic of Azerbaijan countries.