Application of social identity models of collective action to facilitate participation in groundwater aquifer storage and recovery management

Abstract

Aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) is considered as an innovative method and an alternative one for sustainable management of water resources that has, in recent years, attracted the attention of experts and thinkers. Implementation of this method would entail the participation and collective action of various stakeholders. In this process, farmers are considered as the most important stakeholders; and limited studies have been conducted on their intentions to participate in collective actions of ASR management. In this regard, the investigation of farmers’ intention to participate in ASR and its determinants, using social identity models of collective action, was selected as the main purpose of the present study. For this purpose, using a cross-sectional survey, 330 Iranian farmers were interviewed. In this study, the ability of the dual-pathway model of collective action (DPMCA) and the encapsulation model of social identity in collective action (EMSICA) was evaluated and compared to explain farmers’ intentions towards participation in ASR management. The results revealed that the both models had good predictive powers. However, DPMCA was a stronger framework than EMSICA for facilitating farmers’ collective behaviors in the field of participation in ASR management. This is one of the most important results of the present research that might be used by various users including decision makers, managers, and practitioners of water resources management in Iran and generally the world. Finally, the creation of a “we thinking system” or social identity in the field of ASR management was highlighted as one of the most important take-home messages.

Integrating the norm activation model and theory of planned behaviour to investigate farmer pro-environmental behavioural intention

“…Chemical fertilizers and pesticides have improved short-term food production [7][8][9][10] . However, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emission increases, and water pollution risks have emerged through their widespread use [11][12][13][14][15][16] . Consequently, excessive use of chemical fertilizers negatively impacts human health throughout the food chain 17 .…”

“…the perceived ease or difficulty of performing a behavior 67 . PBC therefore also mediates an individual's intention to perform a particular behavior 33,43,44,50,68,69 .TPB is a potent, widely applied theory of determining environmental behavioral intention [70][71][72] and environmental variances 15,73,74 . In general, the variables of this theory, including attitude, SN and PBC, primarily govern the intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors 75 .…”

“…TPB is a potent, widely applied theory of determining environmental behavioral intention [70][71][72] and environmental variances 15,73,74 . In general, the variables of this theory, including attitude, SN and PBC, primarily govern the intention to engage in pro-environmental behaviors 75 .…”