Effective Environmental Components on the Behavior of Chemical Fertilizers Consumption among Tomato Farmers in Ardabil Province

This study was carried out with the general purpose of determining the effective environmental components (in the form of protection motivation theory) on the behavior of chemical fertilizers consumption by tomato farmers in Ardabil province. The statistical population of the study included all active tomato farmers with irrigated cultivation in Ardabil province (N=1489). Based on the table of Bartlett et al. and a multi-stage random sampling method with proportional assignment, the sample size was determined (n=310). Tomato farmers from three counties (Pars Abad (191 people), Meshginshahr (80 people), and Kowsar (39 people)) were selected randomly and according to the population proportion. The behavior of chemical fertilizers consumption was estimated by the composite index (CI) technique. According to the findings, the majority of farmers (41.61%) used chemical fertilizers at a high level of consumption. The highest rate of this overuse (ratio of fertilizer consumption to permissible consumption) was related to liquid Potash fertilizer. According to the structural model analysis, the most paths explaining the behavior of chemical fertilizers consumption were related to the components of behavioral intention (0.731), response cost (0.543), and response effectiveness (0.494), respectively. Training and encouraging farmers to use alternative non-chemical fertilizers (organic fertilizers, humic acid or vermicompost, etc.), conducting periodic soil tests, granting subsidies to bio-fertilizers, holding "Farm Day" programs, and visiting and showcasing farms with successful use of bio-fertilizers can be effective to reduce or replace the chemical fertilizers consumption.