Integrating the Value Belief Norm Theory and Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption Behaviors in Agriculture Production.

Abstract

Climate change poses a critical threat to global agriculture, particularly in climate-sensitive regions like the Kashmir Valley, India. Despite increasing attention to climate-related agricultural risks, limited research has examined how farmers' psychological and behavioral responses shape adaptation and mitigation efforts. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how two prominent behavioral frameworks-the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory-explain the pro-environmental behaviors of rice farmers in response to climate change. Rather than identifying the direct impact of climate change itself, the study aims to predict and explain farmers' adaptation and mitigation behaviors using an integrated theoretical model grounded in the TPB and VBN frameworks. Based on data collected from 759 rice farmers via a multi-stage stratified sampling method, the study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships. The analysis reveals that TPB constructs explain 40.6% of the variance in adaptation behaviors and 23.6% in mitigation behaviors, while VBN constructs account for 57.4% of variance in mitigation and 25.7% in adaptation behaviors. These findings demonstrate that adaptation behaviors are primarily driven by self-interest and volitional control (TPB), whereas mitigation behaviors are more closely linked to moral and normative commitments (VBN). The study concludes that differentiated behavioral drivers must inform climate policy, particularly by incorporating farmers' perspectives to foster more sustainable agricultural practices in vulnerable regions.