Hierarchy of value orientation and beliefs in climate change influencing the farmers’ extractive or non-extractive behavior on the farm

Understanding drivers of farmers’ extractive and non-extractive behavior regarding natural resources has become increasingly important in the face of anthropogenic climatic change, which is a major challenge in today’s world. Non-extractive behavior on the farm refers to the use of natural resources to the extent that it is possible to renew the context and not harm nature and non-renewable resources. Extractive behavior on the farm is associated with the extensive extraction of natural resources without provision for their renewal such as digging deeper wells instead of using water optimally, using chemical fertilizers with more repetition and higher dosage instead of the bio-fertilizers, and as a later result more climate change. To successfully respond human-made climate change using a cognitive hierarchy model, the influence of values on belief and behavior was assessed by a survey method among farmers of Zanjan province, Iran. A representative sample of 265 farmers was surveyed using proportional randomized multi-stage sampling. The results revealed that value orientation significantly elucidated 21% of the variability in non-extractive behavior and 26% of extractive behavior variance in a direct way and through beliefs in climate change. The recommendations have been presented to increase farmer’s efforts to reduce their ecological footprint in nature.