The role of social capital in sustainable management of groundwater resources in the agricultural sector: a study in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran

Sustainable management of groundwater resources (GWR) represents a critical environmental and economic challenge of the 21st century due to its central role in agricultural water supply and food security. In arid and semi-arid regions, excessive extraction—particularly in the agricultural sector—has led to significant declines in aquifer levels and intensified water scarcity. Under such conditions, the adoption of innovative, participatory, and community-based approaches to water use optimization is imperative. This study examined the role of social capital in reducing groundwater consumption for agricultural irrigation in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Employing a quantitative research design and a survey method, data were collected from 388 active farmers in the western region of the Jazmorian Wetland, located in Kerman Province (southern Iran). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results revealed that dimensions of social capital—including social networks, social trust, and social norms—both directly and indirectly influence farmers’ intentions to reduce groundwater consumption through the mediating roles of water management knowledge and ecological cognition. The final research model accounted for 68.3 % of the variance in farmers’ intention to reduce GWR use, underscoring the model's strong explanatory power and the critical role of social capital in promoting conservation-oriented behaviors within agricultural settings. In addition, the results showed that social capital dimensions are able to explain 29.2 % and 0.53 % of the variance in farmers' water management knowledge and ecological cognition, respectively. These findings offer a robust scientific foundation for the development of participatory and community-based policies for sustainable water resource management in Iran’s arid and semi-arid regions. Integrating social capital into policy-making processes can facilitate the transition toward sustainable consumption patterns by strengthening local collaboration, institutional trust, and collective environmental responsibility. • Investigating the role of social capital in farmers' intention to reduce groundwater resource consumption. • Social capital plays an important role in ecological awareness and groundwater management knowledge among farmers. • Using structural equation modeling for data analysis