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Urgent action is needed to educate the public and encourage water conservation behaviors amidst the global threat of water scarcity impacting billions by 2050. Crafting tailored educational programs about water conservation is crucial for incentivizing behavior change and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Intrinsic motivation, which is shaped by personal interests and values, plays a fundamental role in understanding individual behavior in various contexts, and therefore may aid in our understanding of water conservation behaviors. Despite the widespread application of the intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI) to measure intrinsic motivation, its adaptation and utilization in water conservation education remains largely unexplored, prompting this study to establish a relevant scale for intrinsic motivation in the context of water conservation education. Data were collected from 907 respondents in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama and subsequently analyzed using an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to establish and confirm factor structures related to intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, perceived choice, and relatedness in water conservation. The study findings established the Water Conservation IMI as a reliable tool for measuring intrinsic motivation in water conservation education. Further validation of measures for extrinsic motivation in environmental literature are needed to enhance comprehensive education strategies for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Extension educators are uniquely positioned to assist with sustainable community-based food environment change, especially related to obesity prevention efforts, because they are located in almost every county in the U.S. Extension educators strive to build resilient communities by improving food access and bridging various actors involved in the food systems. Needs assessments of desired educational program resources by priority populations, such as those in rural areas, are needed to ensure effective food access and nutrition literacy programs are established based on clientele needs. (2) Methods: Using a non-probability opt-in survey, data were collected from 780 rural residents in a U.S. state facing challenges with obesity rates due to lack of access to healthy, nutritious food to identify barriers to accessing fresh produce and desired educational program resources. (3) Results: The need for socioeconomic and market-based solutions within the built environment indicated educators should increase partnerships with economic resource organizations to enhance community resilience related to food access. (4) Conclusions: An increased understanding can enhance the efficacy of the resources Extension educators offer, resulting in improved food access and security by directly addressing clientele's demonstrated needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global food security requires sustainable and resource-efficient agricultural production. Precision agriculture may provide the tools needed to intensify agricultural production while prioritizing sustainability; however, there are barriers such as initial investments, knowledge gaps, and broadband access that may hinder adoption. Many rural areas in the United States lack the appropriate infrastructure for broadband access needed for precision agriculture, indicating government policies are needed to expand broadband access. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to develop a conceptualization of the current frames used by the Biden administration in communications related to rural broadband and precision agriculture. The methodological framework used was frame analysis. Data were initially analyzed inductively for overall gestalt and subsequently analyzed with abductive coding. Five overarching frames were identified during the data analysis process: broadband access and economic issues, garnering support for broadband expansion, urgency and equity surrounding broadband, expanding beyond the rural, and broadband infrastructure and the agricultural sector. The findings revealed broadband access associated with the Biden administration expanded beyond rural areas, recognizing that cities also face broadband access and affordability issues. There was a lack of discourse, however, surrounding rural broadband policy and precision agriculture, which may downplay its importance in agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]