Modeling the environmental performance by focusing on environmental behavior rural farmers

In light of the crises and changes rooted in agricultural activities and environmental problems, farmers' environmental behaviors are important. Hamedan and Kermanshah provinces are major agricultural regions in Iran that supply strategic crops. These provinces have witnessed environmental issues. The present study aimed to analyze environmental performance with an emphasis on farmers' environmental behaviors. The study population consisted of all rural farmers of the two provinces (n = 27860), and 666 farmers were selected from 89 county centers through stratified sampling. Data gathering was done by questionnaire and its validity and reliability were supported by Cronbach's alpha, AVE, and CR indices. To design the theoretical framework, a combination of the theory of planned behavior, self-efficacy theory, and the theory of user acceptance was used. Data processing was done using ArcGIS, SPSS, AMOS, and MATLAB. The results indicated that the environmental behavior of the farmers was not in a preferred state. The results indicated that the intention had a direct and positive association with the environmental behavior of the farmers. The construct's attitudes toward environment, self-efficacy, and the chance of observing social norms had the highest indirect effects, in ascending order, on the environmental behavior. 53% of changes in environmental behavior were attributed to the constructs covered in the study. Part of environmental damage is caused by the absence of farmers' behavior that takes care of the environment that must be change through behavioral intentions. Local and state policy-makers can use the proposed environmental behavior model to lead farmers to proper environmental behavior. •Critical role of the environmental challenges in rural areas farming.•Analyze the environmental behaviors of farmers in the rural areas.•The behavior intention provokes the environmental behavior of the farmer.•Accuracy in predicting environmental behavior intention.•Expand the model to a refined model based on the environmental behavioral and expectancy theory.