Assessing Attitudes of Farmers to Participate in the Process of Preserving and Restoring Urmia Lake and Its Related Factors in Miandoab Township

The purpose of this study was to assess the attitude of farmers to participate in the process of preserving and restoring Urmia Lake and its related factors in Miandoab Township, West Azarbayjan, Iran. The statistical population consisted of all farmers in villages of central district of Miandoab Township (N=1376). The sample size determined using Cochran's formula (n=134) and cluster sampling method used for selecting samples. Descriptive and correlational research method used in this study. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of agricultural extension and education faculty members. Cronbach's coefficient alpha was used to confirm the reliability of the questionnaire (0.78-0.81). Data analyzed using SPSS 20. The finding revealed that there is a significant relationship between attitude to participate in the process of preserving and restoring Urmia Lake and agricultural income, agricultural job satisfaction, willingness to pay for the restoration of the Lake, the confidence in government agencies and the level of satisfaction with the services provided and the competence of government to protect and restore the Lake. Farmer's satisfaction will increased through improved services and the participation of government agencies and so it could improve attitudes of farmers to participate in conservation and restoration of Urmia Lake.