Exploring Farmers' Intentions to Mitigate Climate Change Through the Lens of the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit

Abstract

Climate change is a major challenge requiring farmers to adopt sustainable practices. As climate policies often depend on voluntary action, understanding what motivates farmers is essential. This study applies the Theory of Reasoned Goal Pursuit (TRGP) to assess key factors influencing Hungarian farmers' intentions to mitigate climate change, including Active Procurement Goals (APGs), Active Approval Goals (AAGs), Attitude (ATT), Subjective Norms (NOR), Motivation (MOT), Perceived Behavioral Control (PBC), and Intention (INT). Using a sample of 301 farmers from the Hungarian Farm Accounting Data Network (FADN) and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM), the study finds that APGs strongly predict ATT and MOT, while AAGs influence NOR. ATT influences MOT to a greater extent than NOR, while MOT and PBC have a strong effect on INT. ATT also mediates the information between APGs and MOT, while NOR has a weak mediating effect between AAGs and MOT. These insights support policies promoting subsidies, climate adaptation strategies, sustainable legislation, digital decision‐making tools, and technical training to help farmers adopt climate‐friendly practices.