From Intentions to Sustainable Actions: Behavioral Drivers of Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Agriculture

ABSTRACT In the face of climate‐related challenges in agricultural production, understanding farmers' decision processes regarding adaptation and mitigation strategies has become increasingly critical. There are numerous papers examining these behaviors across diverse geographic regions and socioeconomic contexts. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the adaptation and mitigation behaviors of farmers in Türkiye. Therefore, this paper focuses on Konya—a major agricultural center in Türkiye—and collects data from farmers in the region through a questionnaire survey. The research aims to explain their behaviors concerning climate change through the lens of different behavioral theories—specifically, theory of planned behavior (TPB), extended TPB by personal norms, and values‐identity‐personal norm (VIP) theory in a comparative manner. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) is employed to quantitatively analyze key psychological, moral, and identity‐driven determinants of pro‐environmental behaviors. Findings confirm the explanatory power of TPB constructs while personal norms emerge as critical drivers of mitigation behaviors with the extended TPB model. The VIP model further expands the analysis by integrating altruistic, egoistic, and biospheric values alongside environmental self‐identity. This demonstrates that values and identity strongly influence personal norms and related behaviors. This paper not only fills a geographic gap by focusing on Türkiye but also offers practical insights for designing policies and interventions that enhance the adaptive and mitigating capacities of behavioral frameworks from a comparative perspective. In practice, our findings suggest that sustainable development policies, publications, and rural development programs are most effective when they mitigate skill constraints through access to technology and timely training while simultaneously strengthening personal norms and environmental self‐identity. Thus, the intention becomes sustainable adaptation and mitigation.