Farmers’ Waste Choices: What Drives Recycling in Western Iran

In many parts of western Iran, farmers produce a lot of crop and orchard leftovers that can harm the environment if not handled properly. A new study looked at why these farmers decide to recycle or ignore that waste, using two well‑known theories about human behavior. The research combined the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Norm Activation Model, two ideas that explain how people’s thoughts and feelings shape their actions. The team surveyed 384 farmers, asking them questions that had been checked for cultural relevance and clarity. Results showed that a farmer’s plan to recycle depends mainly on how they feel about it (their attitude), their sense of personal responsibility, the pressure from people around them (subjective norms), and how much control they think they have over recycling.When it came to actually doing the recycling, the plan still mattered, but a small gap appeared between intention and action. This gap suggests that farmers face practical or structural obstacles that stop them from turning plans into practice, such as lack of tools or time. The study highlights how social expectations, moral duty, and individual confidence all mix to influence eco‑friendly habits. It also points to specific ways governments or local groups can help, like offering hands‑on training and building better waste‑recycling infrastructure. Overall, the findings give a clearer picture of what moves farmers toward or away from recycling agricultural waste, offering useful clues for promoting a circular economy in rural areas.