Influence of Mental Models on Sustainable Wheat Seed Use: A Comparative Study in Western Iran (مقاله علمی وزارت علوم)

چکیده

Understanding farmers' mental models (MM) is crucial for interpreting their behavior; however, these models, are shaped by technical, economic, and social factors, have often been overlooked. Using a case study from Kangavar County, Western Iran, this study investigates the MM of farmers and experts regarding wheat seed usage and proposes optimization strategies using a mixed-methods approach. Qualitatively, phenomenological analysis of interviews with 16 participants (selected via purposive and snowball sampling) identified five key factors shaping farmers' mental models (MM): work context, climate, experienced risks, available resources, and subjective norms. Experts' rationale for seed recommendations centered on three themes: academic knowledge, professional experience, and user characteristics. Quantitatively, a structured questionnaire administered to a separate sample of 255 farmers (stratified proportional sampling) and 50 experts (complete enumeration) revealed significant disparities. Independent samples t-tests revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.01) across all major mental model (MM) domains. Responses were initially scored as percentages (0–100) based on item agreement, then standardized to a 100-point scale. Mean scores were substantially higher among farmers in experienced risks (74.02 vs. 15.80), subjective norms (66.24 vs. 18.93), and work context (65.67 vs. 35.30), indicating stronger perceived influence of experiential and social factors. Conversely, experts scored higher on academic knowledge (75.28 vs. 41.71), reflecting greater reliance on scientific evidence.The Delphi method identified and prioritized key strategies for optimizing seed use, with "preparing a suitable seedbed" (weighted average: 0.148) and "using certified seeds" (weighted average: 0.143) ranked highest. These findings underscore the critical gap between farmer and expert models and emphasize the need for targeted interventions that integrate experiential knowledge with scientific evidence to bridge this divide, fostering more sustainable seed usage practices.