Factors Influencing Grazing Behavior by Using the Consciousness-Context-Behavior Theory—A Case Study from Yanchi County, China

Abstract

Grazing behavior is a key factor that affects the sustainable development of the grassland social-ecological system. Grazing behavior is not only restricted by policies but also affected by the awareness of the herder of the grassland environment. To explore the influencing factors and mechanism behind grazing behavior, Yanchi County of Ningxia, a typical area of the “returning grazing land to grassland” project in Northwest China, was selected as a study area. Based on the consciousness-context-behavior theory, a questionnaire was designed, and 305 households were surveyed. Analysis of structural equation model results show: (1) the environmental sensitivity of herders and their satisfaction with the compensation mechanism regulated grazing behavior. When herders were more dependent on grassland, they were more willing to graze. (2) The grassland dependence, environmental sensitivity of herders, and herders’ satisfaction with the compensation mechanism had a significant interaction effect on grazing behavior. (3) Family livelihood diversification and the number of young and middle-aged laborers had a significant moderating effect on grassland dependence and grazing behavior. These findings are of vital importance for the government to formulate policies to promote the sustainable development of grasslands.

Regional Development Environment, Local Government’s Character Behavior, and Sustainability: Empirical Evidence from China

“…A triangular framework of regional sustainable development was proposed from economic, ecological and social perspectives. The framework has already included the contents of sustainability in population growth, resource utilization, and agricultural development and sci-tech progress (Hou et al, 2021).…”

“…During the long-term governance, Chinese local governments of various regions have formed their own unique characters, which influence their thoughts and actions. Second, the occurrence of behaviors needs the opportunities created by environmental conditions (Hou et al, 2021). The advantages, characteristics, and constraints of sustainable development vary with the development environments of different regions.…”

How is it effective for farmers to adopt environmentally friendly cultivated land protection technology: a configurational perspective

“…Subsequent theories, such as the attitude-context-behavior (ABC) theory (Zhang J. et al, 2020), the consciousness-context-behavior system model (Hou et al, 2021), and the cognitive-context-behavior model (CCB) (Aardema and Wong, 2020), suggest that behavior is the result of the interaction between external contextual factors and subjective psychological factors. Previous literature records have mainly analyzed contextspecific moderating effects based on the antecedents of behavior, such as attitudes, consciousness, and cognition, without considering the possible direct influence of external contexts on behavior (Li and Fang, 2022;Lou et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2022).…”

Determinants of Herders’ Satisfaction with the Grassland Ecosystem Compensation Policy: A Case Study of Gansu Province, China

“…Changes in inedible native grass (X 11 ): Changes in inedible native grasses can have a negative effect on satisfaction with the implementation effects of the GECP. An increase in the proportion of inedible native grasses signifies ongoing deterioration of the grassland ecosystem, which, in turn, places a greater financial burden on herder households to purchase commercial forage [67].…”