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Purpose This study aims to determine the effect of online social networks on university students’ environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). This research aimed to develop and test a behavioral model in the context of online social networks, where students’ attitudes, knowledge and behavior influence their ERB. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest design and a random parallelization control group. The research used a questionnaire to assess ERB, environmental attitudes and environmental knowledge. The researcher randomly assigned 120 students to an experimental and a control group of equal size. Both groups initially completed a pretest. The experimental group was trained in environmental issues over four months (an academic semester) via an online social network. Findings The findings indicated that the social network had a significant effect on motivating ERB. Additionally, it improved environmental attitudes. According to the results, online social networks such as Facebook can significantly aid in teaching and learning environmental issues in formal academic settings. Originality/value Online social networks facilitated significant cognitive progress in environmental education. The primary objective is to educate students about ERB.

The present study aimed to identify the problems and challenges of water resources use by the agricultural sector. The research conducted a qualitative content analysis on documents and semi-structured interviews with experts and key informants in the study site of Miandoab, Iran. Based on the results, the challenges of water resources use for agriculture include (i) the problems related to water consumption management composed of two sub-categories of encouraging farmers to participate in water consumption management and the problems related to monitoring and controlling water consumption, (ii) the problems of water resources management including the sub-categories of inappropriate management perspective on water abstraction, the problem of managing unauthorized abstractions, the problems of the infrastructure of water allocation scheduling, and (iii) the problems of farmers’ traditionalism whose sub-categories are farmers’ incorrect habits and experiences, low awareness, low motivation, and poor knowledge, as well as the problems related to their farms.

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